The Wanderer
by sonicXben
Summary: After years of conflict and prophecy, many thought things were finally going to change for the better. But the wheel of Fate had gone full circle once more. One such survivor, Percy Jackson, learned a terrible secret his mother had held locked up in her mind for decades. Now, Percy must travel north to a strange land to uncover this secret for himself in a land called Castle Rock.
1. A Ruined Reunion

**Various Times**

* * *

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom! With a mighty roar, the Minotaur stared into the night, more than eager to spill the blood of its next victim.

"Hey!" The Minotaur turned its head to another boy on the muddy hillside, waving a red jacket…of all things. A boy with the undeniable stench of the sea god. "Stupid! Ground beef!"

A flash of anger burned in the half-man, half-bull's beady eyes. Its original victim wasn't going anywhere, and it wanted nothing more than to kill everything in sight, especially if it dared to wear red. But its victim, Percy Jackson, did something he never thought possible. He leapt over the Minotaur, grabbing it by the horns. With a cry of fury that tore through the night, the Minotaur thrashed back and forth to try and shake the rider off.

'How did I do that?' Percy wondered as the beast continued to try and kill Percy. That is, until his best friend, Grover Underwood, let out a moan, begging for food. At least he wasn't begging for enchiladas again.

But once again, everything changed. Like a light being flicked on, all the rage Percy stored over losing his mother, Sally, the hatred he bore for his stepfather (legally), Gabe Ugliano, and desire to protect his friend boiled to the surface and he grabbed onto one of the Minotaur's curved horns with all his might. With the Minotaur letting out a stunned grunt, Percy ripped the right horn right up from its head.

In a fit of rage, the Minotaur used Percy's lack of grip to throw him into a rock uncovered by the muddy ground, smacking his forehead against the rock head-on. With a minor daze and the world spinning around him, Percy stands up while holding the knife-sized horn in hand. The Minotaur barreled towards Percy now that the fight had finally become personal, although Percy instinctually was ready. With a yell of fury, Percy rolled under the charging monster and rammed the monster's own horn through its sternum. With a roar of agony and scratching at its own skin to rip the horn out, it stumbled onto its back and burst into golden dust, like Percy's pre-algebra teacher, Mrs. Dodds. The battle won, and shaking limbs, Percy wonder at the back of his mind, 'Where did this come from?'

He had never demonstrated strength or fighting instincts like this before. In fact, he tried a weight lifting at PE class to look tough and finally get the bullies at school, mostly Nancy Bobofit, off his back. That day ended with Percy gaining bruised feet, two students with broken bones, and cost Yancy Academy 5,000 dollars to replace the broken equipment alone. So that brought up his ultimate question; 'what's going on?'

* * *

Now, Percy Jackson is sitting in the backseat of his mother's car, who is driving them on a highway lined with snow and sleet pounding on the vehicle like fists. Sitting next to him in the back seat is his best friend, Annabeth Chase, and Thalia, a daughter of the King of Olympus, Zeus. The demigods were too nervous about their upcoming mission to save two new demigods to talk much. And while Sally was trying to pass the time by telling Annabeth and Thalia embarrassing baby stories, Percy could notice something else as well. Fear. For whatever reason, she is both fearful and angry about the 8-hour drive from New York to Bar Harbor, Maine.

"Are you alright?" By now, Percy couldn't take it anymore.

"What do you mean, Percy?" Sally asked Percy, looking in the rear-view mirror. Annabeth and Thalia also stared at Percy, wondering where this came from.

"You've been nervous for the last few days, Mom. Ever since you heard where we were going? Did you attend this school?"

Percy looks at his mother, who is silent for a long time. And judging by the look in her eyes, she is desperate to avoid his conversation. Eventually, she lets out a long sigh. "No, Percy. I didn't attend this school. But I was born here. In Maine."

"Really?" Percy can't help asking. He never knew this about his mother before. Annabeth and Thalia also look interested.

"Which city are you from, Mrs. Jackson?" Thalia asked.

Sally, to her credit, manages to retain her emotions better and a blank expression. "Augusta. But I left the state of Maine after Percy was born. My parents died in a plane crash, and I wanted to start a new life, and this is how everything worked out in the end. And I wouldn't have had it any other way. Ah! Here we are!" Directly ahead of them, sitting on the edge of the cliff, was Westover Hall.

* * *

Pain. One of the ancient defense systems mortals have used to defend themselves against outside forces which desired to destroy them. Like that did Percy any good.

Every muscle in his body was on fire as he alone bore the weight of the sky itself. It sounds insane, but roll with it. In the distance, the Olympian goddess of the Hunt, Artemis, and her lieutenant, Zoë Nightshade, fought with the mad titan, Atlas.

Time seemed to fade from existence as every system in his body screamed and fought to keep up the sky, and he thought he was doing well. The two huntresses continued to do battle while Thalia and the traitorous son of Hermes, Luke Castellan, continued their own battle.

By now, pain was the only thing he knew. Sweat poured off his body as his vision turned red and he saw strange things, like turning into different animals. But the strangest thing he saw was a frozen lake, with a snow-colored forest in the distance. Whatever he was seeing, the last of his senses seemed to be…afraid of this place, and nearly recoiled. 'Get ready!' Artemis's voice cut through Percy's thoughts, and he looked up. Artemis was charging at him, the mighty Atlas in hot pursuit. Eventually, the titan swept Artemis off her feet. Zoë tried to save her goddess, but was swatted aside. As he raised his spear for the kill and thrust it down, Artemis slammed the blade safely next to her, then used Atlas's own momentum to swing him over her.

Realizing what was happening, Percy eased his strength into the sky so the titan could push him out from under the sky swirling with all colors imaginable, forcing its burden back onto its old friend.

Over the course of the next few minutes, Luke was defeated by Thalia and supposedly killed, Annabeth was saved, at the cost of Zoë's life. Calling upon her sleigh pulled by reindeer and absolutely not ripping off Santa Claus, Artemis guides the grief-stricken halfbloods to safety, escorted by an antique biplane curtesy of Annabeth's father, Frederick.

On the flight, Artemis looked back at Percy, who is still shaking and carrying a streak of grey in his hair. 'Impossible. What I saw should have been impossible.' Artemis thought to herself. She saw in the minds of mortals who had held up the sky. Most mortals, men or women, wouldn't last 5 minutes under the weight. Demigods, due to their greater strength and battle skills would be able to last longer, but not by much. Luke only held the sky for 10 minutes, and he was weakened to near-death for days. Annabeth lasted 8 minutes, long enough to force the goddess herself under the sky, and while she wasn't as physically taxed as Luke, she still came horrifyingly close to death and needed a day to recover muscle function. But Percy… she never thought he would be able to hold the sky for 15 minutes, and be able to regain muscle strength after 5 minutes. Five minutes! 'Who are you, Perseus Jackson?'

* * *

Now begins the worst sight of them all. The skinny, leathery-green-skinned and hideous goddess of misery, Akhlys, standing at the edge of a black void of nothing, standing over Percy and his now-dating Annabeth, covered in Death Mist, a cloak that shrouds those on their way to death. The goddess lifted her hands up, and hundreds, if not thousands, of flowers coated in poison bloomed at their feet. Hemlock, nightshade, belladonna, and those were only the ones that could be remembered at the moment.

The two demigods fought the goddess of misery. At first, things were going well for them, especially when they started saying happy things to Akhlys, who was only infuriated. Then, like over-inflated water balloons, the plants burst around them and their poison formed an ichor at their feet and turning everything around them to fire. Percy fell to one knee, trapped on an island of ground surrounded by water while Annabeth continued to fight.

The son of Poseidon then glared at the poison, the poison which was about to end the life of the best friend he ever had. Something in his expression changed, and the once happy-go-lucky demigod's expression seemed to hold malice. The poison stopped in place. It remained that way for a second before turning around and redirected at Akhlys. "What is this?" Her voice, for the first time since meeting the demigods, was filled with terror.

"Poison, you scrawny old cunt." Even Percy's voice seemed to ooze with hatred for the goddess as he lifted up his hands in a commanding manner and the poison slid across the ground. The water and sweat oozing from her body seemed to stop in place, clogging her up and making her gag in pain.

"Percy, stop this!" Annabeth shouts, horrified by what is happening right now. But he didn't listen, and pushed the poison until it latched onto the goddess's skin. Never had Percy heard anyone screamed so loudly and pitifully.

"Make it stop! Make it stop!" Akhlys would shout between screams. The poison cleaned out of the way, and Annabeth grabbed Percy's arm.

"Percy!" He looked at her. Even though she was covered in Death Mist, her grey eyes shone through, and the fear they held made him ease up. "Please…" Slowly, the anger ebbed away and the poison dropped to the ground. Akhlys, not wanting any more pain, ran as fast as she could. Which was pretty impressive, given her state of being. As she left, the remains of the flowers at their feet dissipated, leaving the ground barren again. At this point, Annabeth was sobbing and pulled Percy into a tight embrace. "Some things aren't meant to be done. Don't do that again. Please." She continued sobbing while Percy stares down at her.

"I know." He then lifted up his right hand, which seemed to be vibrating. He placed it on Annabeth's back, and she too started screaming in agony. But this scream was cut off by her body dissipating into grey mist, which scattered into the deep red sky above. Percy then stood up and turned around. In those moments, the Death Mist wore off and showed a different Percy. A short, stubby black beard was growing on his face and upper lip, his skin seemed paler than usual, and his green eyes seemed to hold a deep madness behind them. "Do you see what happened? This is what happens to those who put the ones I love in danger. And now you will suffer, too." He then lifted up his hands. The poison floated into the air and hovered there as a giant sphere, before it soars forward, its intent solely focused on melting its target.

* * *

With a start, Annabeth Chase sat up in bed, grabbing her chest. She looks around the dark hotel room, with the curtains. Her breathing started slowing down, and she even noticed the cold sweat coating her body

"Annabeth? Are you alright?" The lamp flicked on, and her father sat on her bed. He looked shocked and so concerned at the moment. Taking a long breath, she looked to her father.

"I'm alright." It hurt to lie to her father about his, but honestly, she isn't even sure what to make of her dream. Besides, she's known Percy for years. He would never kill another person or snap like that, especially against her.

Based on Frederick's expression, he didn't quite believe Annabeth, but he decided to leave her be. "Well, since we're up, you'd best get packing. We're about to head home soon."

Annabeth nods. She had been staying in New York for the last week to assist in her architecting on Mt. Olympus still. The damage left by the Greek and Roman gods' self-conflict left much work to be done in regards of repair. Her salad bar being the top priority. Today, they will be returning home to San Francisco. Annabeth had recently graduated from high school and is about to start her college life, with Percy. Sometimes, it's still hard to believe a year had passed since the war with Gaea and the two are almost 18 now.

Her mind wanders, contemplating her dream while she finished her packing and normal morning routine more. While she does believe Percy would never harm her, she does have to admit that of all the dreams she's had, this one was easily the scariest of them all. What did it mean?

Soon enough, everything is done and it's only 11:00 am, three hours before their flight out. Which means she has enough time for her side trip. "I'm going out for a bit. Meeting Percy for lunch today."

"Alright. Please be safe."

Annabeth nods before closing the door behind her. She was telling the truth; she would be meeting Percy for lunch today then he would join her on the flight to San Francisco. While that sounds insane for a son of Poseidon to get on a plane, her going with him would keep Zeus from trying anything rash if he so chose. She strolled down the street to the local burger joint where Percy enjoys getting lunch the most.

In a respectable amount of time, Annabeth arrives out-front of the diner. There was Percy, leaning against the wall, wearing a deep blue T-shirt and faded jeans. She is about to approach, but hesitates. His head is lowered and looks deeply confused about something. Then he looks up and instantly spots Annabeth, and any trace of worry disappears from his face. "Annabeth!" He runs up and hugs her, which she promptly returns. They share a quick kiss, then continue staring at each other's faces. "You want to go in?"

With a quick nod, Annabeth is escorted inside the diner, where they quickly find a booth that sits two people comfortably. While Annabeth sticks with a simple chicken salad, Percy goes all out with a bacon cheeseburger and fries. Once finished, Percy leans back in his chair and lets out a slight moan. "Gods, that was good."

Annabeth can't help but laugh at the scene. "So, how's your family doing, Percy?"

Percy smiles, though Annabeth can't help but notice that it looks almost forced. "We're doing great. Estelle is so sweet; Paul is keeping the high schoolers in place. If he has any more students like me, then I can only pity him. Mom…" His expression quickly turns to concerned. "Mom's doing well, all things considered."

Annabeth, despite the subtle shift, smiles. "Well, I hope you're ready to see San Francisco again. We're going to be starting college there, having romantic meals on the pier, and then there's the Festival of Peace."

The Festival of Peace was agreed upon by Camps Jupiter and Half-Blood as part of their alliance. The festival celebrates the end of millennia of conflict, as well as the first anniversary against the war against Gaea. While Annabeth is unclear as to what exactly is going to happen at this event, she's sure that what they have in mind would get anyone excited to be a part of the festivities.

But not Percy. His face darkens more and lowers his head before muttering something. "What did you say?"

"I can't go." Percy looks up at his girlfriend, and she can clearly see the pain in his eyes.

She just sits at the booth, stunned and confused. They'd planned this trip for weeks, and this happens at the last minute. "Why?" At this point, Annabeth is too confused about what changed to say much else.

Percy sighs deeply, then leans in and starts whispering to her. "Annabeth, I want to go more than anything else in the world. But Mom is traveling north. Last week, she received a call from a hospital. Her uncle had suffered a severe stroke and whether he will survive at all is in doubt. Mom didn't want to go at all, but Joseph helped her start a new life here in New York, and move away from her hometown. She made up her mind to go yesterday, and she's been so stressed since."

The words slammed her in the face, almost giving Annabeth vertigo. "Okay. But why are you going with her?"

Percy took her hands under the table. "Because she's going back to her home town, in Maine. I'm going to tell you something about myself I never knew until yesterday. I was born in her hometown and lived there for 6 years before we moved to New York. I need to be there to protect her."

Annabeth then felt something cold in her hands. Upon feeling the objects, she recognized what they were immediately. She looked to Percy, wondering why he would give her three golden drachmas. "Annabeth, I trust you more than any other person I know. I'll feel better knowing I've got you watching my back."

For the first time in a long time, Annabeth is speechless for a moment. She just learned that Percy is from Maine, and the extent to which he trusted her… "Thank you." That's the only thing she can say at the moment. "But Percy, is Paul going with Sally on this trip?" Percy simply nods. "Then why do you even need to go at all? Paul will take care of your Mom just fine, and they will take Estelle with them."

Percy shakes his head, and whispers even lower. "Estelle is being left in a babysitter's care, Paul's brother I believe. Annabeth, I have to go. I've had dreams about that place for a week. The monsters that live there are unlike anything I've seen in the mortal world. I need answers." The desperation in his voice interested Annabeth, and she knew she couldn't convince him otherwise at this point. Percy then leans in and kisses her on the forehead.

"When will you get to camp?"

A moment of silence passes. "I don't know. But I will get there as soon as I can. I promise." He then stands up from his booth. "Have a nice flight."

As he walks away from the diner, Annabeth grabs his wrist. "Can you please tell me where you are going at least?"

Percy looks her in the eyes, then leans in and whispers two words she would never forget, "Castle Rock." Percy then stands up and walks out the door. The only thing Annabeth can do is stare at his back as he leaves in silence.


	2. My Mom Went Back in Time

**July 21****st****, 2011**

* * *

For the first in in Gods-know how long, Percy Jackson was able to sleep on his bed and not have to worry about demigod dreams. Of course, a treat like this wouldn't last long. His door swung open, and Sally Jackson stepped into the bedroom.

"Percy, get up." Despite a silent stir, Percy still remained asleep. Sally started to look annoyed and shook her son violently. "Percy. Wake up!"

With a loud groan, Percy sits up and looks at his mom bleary-eyed. "Oh. Morning, Mom."

Sally looks down at Percy, then throws a duffel onto his bed. "Percy, we're leaving today. Please be quick." She then promptly shut the door behind her. The demigod couldn't help but stare at the door; he shrugged his shoulders, then gets up and opens the door, finding a dozen cardboard boxes set up in rows of 3. He wanted nothing more than to start college with the love of his life, but it seems this trip to Castle Rock took priority over everything else. Percy didn't want to go to Maine at all, but he'd promised his Mom that he would protect her. The demigod knows his mother can take care of herself just fine, but the way she talked about the town, Percy can't help feeling like he's going to step into the Ancient Lands!

Very reluctantly, Percy grabbed a box cutter and zipped open the boxes to take all the clothes he'd packed days before and moved everything into the small duffel.

Once finished, he stepped out of his room and comes face to face with what lays on the other side. The young Estelle is in a stroller in the corner, looking at Percy confused, while Paul is standing next to Sally. Percy's mother is standing in front of the sink and sobbing.

"Sally, it's okay." Paul was saying to his wife. "This will be a quick visit, then we will have a vacation all to ourselves. Everything's going to be okay."

"No, Paul." Sally choked out. "Nothing's ever simple whenever Castle Rock is involved. You don't know that place like I do. I can't prove it now, but I know it. A curse hangs over that place and the land surrounding it. You want to know how I truly feel about my hometown, Paul? If you gave me coffee and a flamethrower, I would take the flamethrower and burn that town right to the fucking ground!"

Percy dropped his duffel, and could only stare. "Mom?" Sally looked up to see the shocked expression of her son. And she couldn't blame him. Not once, not even when Sally was married to Smelly Gabe, had she sworn, or done so in such a casual manner. Ever! Estelle didn't like it either, as she burst out crying.

Sally puts a hand to her mouth in horror, then promptly rushes over and cradles Estelle, bouncing her up and down to calm the young child down. "I'm so sorry. It's just that I'm unhappy about this arrangement, but I have to be with Joe when he passes on."

"Then why?" Sally and Percy look to Paul, who was wearing a disapproving expression. "Sally, if you hate Castle Rock so much, why do you feel so obliged to go out of your way to meet him? And for that matter, why can't he come down here to New York?"

Sally just stared at Paul, and caved under his expression. "Paul, Uncle Joe suffered from a stroke. His wife died years ago. He can't go anywhere in his current state, especially not now. And Joe…" She then found her shoes a very interesting specimen. "I have to see him. I've never liked Castle Rock, but he took me in when my parents passed away. He raised me, taught me, supported me when I had you, my dear Percy." Her smile was not only one of happiness, but also of sadness and bitterness. "Eventually… I couldn't take it anymore. He gave me some money he saved from his lawyer days, bought me a ticket to New York where his brother, Rich, lived. I stayed with him ever since, until he died and things got…complicated. But if it wasn't for Joe, nothing would be how it turned out today."

She then turned to Paul with a sad smile, and the message was clear. She owed everything to Joe, and despite doing anything to avoid going back home, this was a risk Sally was willing to take. Suddenly, the door bell buzzes loudly. "Ah, that must be James." Paul then made his way to the door and swung open. Standing in the doorway was a man who had to be at least half a head taller than Paul with jet black hair and wearing a flannel shirt with jeans. "Hey!'' The two brothers embrace in a tight hug.

"Paul, we need to see each other more. It's been what, 5 years?" He looks at Sally, who has calmed down considerably. "You must be Sally. Paul's said so many great things about you! Nice things, mostly." He then lets out a light chuckle, then shakes Sally's hand. "Now, who's the lucky girl today?" He then notices Estelle in Sally's arms. Shakily, Sally gave her daughter to the taller man.

"Please take good care of her." Sally asked, having regained control.

James beamed. "Don't worry, Mrs. Blofis. You can count on me." He then set Estelle back in the stroller and wheeled her out the door, telling her about all the fun times they were going to have.

Paul walked over and placed a hand on Sally's shoulder. "James is a good man. He will take care of Estelle just fine."

Sally looked up at her husband, grateful about how this worked out, and at the last minute as well. "Okay. Percy, are you ready to go?"

By now, Percy had regained control of his body and nodded. He hauled the duffel out the door and to the old Toyota Prius that still works and looks despite its age. But as Paul continues packing and Percy loads his stuff into the trunk, Sally stared down from the window at her boy. Words could net express how proud she was of the man her son became, and worried for his safety now. It had been 10 years, coming on 11 since she deserted Castle Rock and taken Percy with her. Percy had grown up so much since those days, seen things she didn't even want to imagine, but somehow, everything ended up well in the end. But it wasn't always like this…

* * *

Sally Jackson was young. Caring, compassionate, willing to trust. That was a trait that is almost never found in anyone who lived in Castle Rock. She was driving in the family truck along the winding, bumpy roads. Past the rows of rickety houses on the outer neighborhoods of Castle Rock, where the children run around and playing or riding on rusted metal bikes under the watchful gazes of their parents. This part of town may be shabby, but it's better than living in the trailer park in the outskirts of the town.

Eventually, she arrived at the Castle Rock Kindergarten, where her son was beginning his education. She can't help but stare at the crumbling building that was once a hospital with contempt, but got out anyways. Wandering through the dirty hallways, she found her son in one of the rooms, separate from the rest of the other children. "How are you, Percy?" Sally asked.

"I had fun today, Mom!" Percy said, then went on and on about how he made his first paper airplane without any help, and that he made a new friend, named Karl Roach. Sally couldn't help but smile upon hearing that, happy that Percy was doing well. Once arriving home, Percy runs to the kitchen and pulls out his paper airplane. Sally stared at the plane in genuine awe. It was an airplane that had its wings able to folded in three different parts, with the tips pointing inward.

"You did this on your own?" Sally breathed.

"You got it, Mom! And it works! Let me show you!" He then threw the plane, although the throw was far too high, and it went straight in the air. "No!" Percy tried to catch the plane so it wouldn't hit the ground. But then something happened that Sally did not expect. The plane levelled out. As if that wasn't enough, it wound around the wall covered in botanical paper and down the wooden hallway leading to the bedrooms. "Come back here!" Percy then charged down the room while Sally fell into a nearby wooden chair in shock. Such a thing should be impossible, even for a son of Poseidon, unless… no, she didn't want to think of what this could mean. Deciding to set her feelings aside, she then got to work on dinner.

As she was setting set up, a loud set of thumps came from one of the bedrooms. Hesitantly, Sally put down the spatula and walked out. "Percy?" She went into the hallway and saw Percy standing in the middle, looking down at something. "What is it, dear?" She walked over to her son.

He then looked up at his mother with such an innocent smile. "Can I play with this?" He then showed her what was in Percy's hands. A black toy model of a Lionel train engine. A feeling of anger welled up inside her, but the feeling was squashed.

"I'm afraid not, dear. I'll get you a train tomorrow. Why don't you go into the kitchen, and I'll bake you some cookies. Okay?"

Percy hugged his mother then rushed into the kitchen. She looked down at the model, and fury coursed through her. Such a small thing that could destroy everything she knew. She'd treat Percy well, but first, she'd need to put this cursed object where it would never be found again.

* * *

If Sally ever thought things were going to get easier in life at Castle Rock, then she was sorely mistaken.

Ever since his…powers… started developing, and life in the 1st grade has been nothing but utter hell for Percy. He couldn't focus in class, a complaint that was more often than not said by Mr. Anderson. What made her want to punch the history teacher were the words he would use in his letters, with the word 'retard' floating around every now and then. And the kids… even during the visit she had when a local football match was on, she found the children merciless and treated anyone they didn't like poorly, to say the least.

Sally was sitting at the wooden kitchen table, looking at another letter from a different Castle Rock teacher, Mrs. Stone. She was apparently a nasty bitch who let things slide in class that would get most teachers fired on the spot. Percy, especially, was a victim to her wrath. Apparently, the coffee machine in the extravagant teacher's lounge had blown up and scalded the teacher's face. While no one could prove Percy's involvement in the incident, the school rumors still persisted.

"Something wrong, Sally?" She looked up. A muscular, middle-aged man with deep grey hair, grey-blue eyes and a walking cane stepped into the room, settling himself in the nearby chair.

"I'm worried about Percy." She told her uncle. "This is the 5th complaint we've received from the elementary school just this month. And the other kids…" Sally trailed off.

The meaning was loud and clear to Joe. "Sally, don't worry. No matter how tough these kids act, they usually come around in the end." His face darkened considerably. "Though in poor Carrie White's case, not fast enough. But things will never get that bad here, I will make sure. But things won't be that bad."

"How can you be so certain?" Sally all but demanded of her uncle. How could he be so calm about all this?

Joe smiled slightly. "Because I believe that boy has more going for him than meets the eye. He has Karl backing him up, after all. He's got friends, he has you. Things are going to work out."

Sally nodded absently then looked to the letter and what lay in the table. A brochure for Yancy Academy, far south in the state of New York. Joe noticed the brochure, then looked to Sally accusingly. "Okay, fine. It's just… it's not that I'm ungrateful for everything you've done, but I think New York would be a much better environment for my son to live in."

Joe simply nodded, then sat in his chair in silence. Just then, the door swung open and Percy stepped into the house. He had some scratches on his face, but looked to be in a considerably good mood. "Hi, Mom. Hi, Joe."

"Hello, Percy. How are you?" Sally asked, a smile on her face at seeing her son, but alarmed by the scratches on his face.

He gave her a small smile. "I'm alright. Mom, can you help me out?"

"Nuh-uh." Sally went into teacher mode now. "You say 'please' when you ask for something? Okay?"

Percy rolled his eyes in a playful manner, still smiling. "Right. Can you please help me with my homework?"

Sally smiled. Better. She then sat next to Percy, and they went over all the homework Percy was assigned for the next days of class.

As much as Sally was unwilling to admit it, Joe was right. Things worked out for Percy, as the bullies have now been staying as far away from Percy as possible, some classes are going better, and he even made a new friend with a girl named Ayla. All in all, things had finally been looking up. It is now twilight and Sally was making dinner for her son and uncle, who was running late for a meeting with a big client. She looked up at the clock and frowned. It was already 7:30; strange, Percy was usually back by 6. Having already finished, Sally walked outside to the crisp air and clear skies streaked with red and gold, which was rare for this area of Maine. He looked to the bike stand, and saw that his bike wasn't parked here.

Sally then walks back into the house and to the red transparent phone Joe bought for the house. She then picks up the phone and dials the school number. "Hello? Yes, this is Sally Jackson, I was calling to see if my son was still on campus." A long pause, then Sally's face went slack. "What the hell did you say?" Another pause, with each moment passing bringing more and more terror to the mother. By the end, she dropped the phone to the ground then ran out the door.

There was only one thing to do. Sherriff Alan Pangborn will be able to help. With no time wasted, she got into the truck and drove right to the single-story stone building that made up the Castle Rock Police Station, and ran in.

"Yes? Can I help you?" The officer behind the counter asked.

"Hi, I need you to help me find someone whose disappeared." Sally said, her voice trembling.

The officer looked up at her with interest. "Who went missing today, ma'am?"

"My son, Percy Jackson."

* * *

"Percy! Percy!" Day in and day out, Sally scoured every section of the surrounding forest in search for her son, who had been missing for a week. The police stopped her from taking part in the search as she would only impede the search, but they couldn't him or any trace of where he was when he disappeared. As far as the police knew, he was riding his bike to school like usual at 7:00 am and no one has been able to see him since, or able to find his bike.

The lack of any substantial evidence left Sally worried out of her mind. It was a mistake to stay in Castle Rock at all, especially with Percy's heritage. She should have listened to Poseidon the last day they saw each other. Secretly, and behind everyone's back, she conducted her own investigation into where Percy could be. Now, she was standing on the edge of the highway leading out of Castle Rock and alone, a realization hit her. Such a horrifying thought hit her that she stopped in place. What if he was kidnapped and was long gone from Castle Rock? What if a monster found him? The mere thought of that, and worse happening to her son made tears form in her eyes. She looked at the cold overcast skies, looking for any hope at all. Then, from out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something shiny and very familiar. Hope filled Sally, and she ran to the side of the road. There it was; Percy's bike! The silver bike was in perfect condition and buried under a bush, as if someone didn't want the bike to be found. Then her luck became better when she noticed a pair of shoes wandering through the woods. Desperate, Sally followed the tracks through the woods and blinked where they led to.

It was Dark Score Lake, a wide-spread lake that stretched out as far as her eyes could take in. As she wanders around the shores of the lake, something in her grew cold. A breeze blew over her, one that chilled her to the bone despite being a light breeze. Something about this place made her on edge. Suddenly, she heard a loud squawking, almost like a chorus. She looked overhead, and a swarm of crows looked down at her before scattering from the trees they were perched in. Sally lowers her arms to look at the swarm, then heard a soft moan from in front of her. She ran to the source of the noise, and her breath hitched. There he was; Percy was lying on the ground in a blue shirt and khaki shorts, fast asleep and looked as if it was a peaceful one. "Percy!" She ran to her son's side, hugging him tighter than she ever did before.

* * *

"Sally?" She blinked in shock, breaking from her memories then looked up at her husband who looked concerned. "We're ready to go."

She nodded then stood up, taking her own suitcase and hauling it down the stairs. After finding Percy, Sally decided she couldn't take it anymore and told Joe she was leaving Castle Rock, hopefully forever. And to her surprise, he agreed. In fact, he arranged for his brother, Rich, to take care of Sally and her son while she tried to do anything she could to get a stable job in New York, some allowance to start off, and best regards.

The trio step into the car, and after pulling out of the driveway, battle with traffic, then manage to leave the city completely.

Percy simply stared out the car door, wondering what he was getting himself into this time. Knowing Percy's luck, things were not going to go well. Having stayed up late the previous night, he decided that this would be the best time to get some rest. So, placing his head along the door, he shut his eyes and fell to asleep.

Naturally, his dreams decided to act against him once more. He now found himself standing on the porch of an old but nice home modeled in the traditional New England style. The house was on a hill overlooking a small-town Percy did not recognize. He heard a rocking next to him, and he saw that a woman of 20 years old was sitting next to him, looking upon the Maine town with a small smile. For some reason, that smile set Percy was on edge. Silently, and confidently, she stood up and walked towards the door to the house. But as she swung the door open, they both heard a silent pop. A massive explosion happened a second later, blowing up the doorway and sending the woman flying back and laying on the ground. She was screaming in agony, splinters coating her entire body and making her bleed like air leaving a balloon. Slowly, and painfully, she tried dragging herself to the town, only for someone to step out from inside the house.

This man made Percy shiver; there were very few beings that Percy met in his life that Percy genuinely felt scared of, and whatever this monster was made it on the list. He was wearing a long dark green overcoat that stretched to the knees and folded so it covered the chest and the neck piece sticking up like Count Dracula's cape, black pants, black combat boots, a metal helmet reminiscent of a British soldier's during the first world war, but the face was shadowed. He was carrying a wooden walking cane that looked very old, and pulled on the arm handle, pulling out a jagged knife that gleamed silver in the moonlight. The woman looked up at him and could only stare in horror as he slammed the knife into her throat, puncturing the tissue immediately. She could only stare at him, gargling blood in a weak attempt to scream, then she fell to the ground. Percy stared into her now-glassy eyes with a sense of fear before focusing back on the man as he looked up. Only now did he see the mask that was worn as he stared right at Percy. It was a hand-crafted wooden mask, with rectangle-shaped eye sockets, and a slit where he could hear silent and concentrated breathing coming from. While Percy couldn't see the eyes behind the vanilla-painted mask, he knew that they were glaring right at him. The man pulled the knife out and lunged at Percy.

"No!" Percy jolted awake from his dream, panting silently. What was that thing that tried to kill him?

"Hey, Percy! You're awake!" Paul said, looking back at him and looking happy about something. Then he started to look concerned. "Are you okay?"

Percy nodded. He then looked around. The sky was a dull grey, and a thick forest surrounded the highway they were driving on, a forest that looked strangely familiar to him. "Where are we?"

It was Sally who answered the question, in a quiet voice. "We've arrived. Family, welcome to Castle Rock."


	3. My Girlfriend Gets a Taste of Evil

**July 21****st****, 2011**

* * *

The mortal world has produced some of the most amazing things, created technology and weapons that probably should never have been produced, and if things continue, possibly rival the gods. But this isn't one of man's best moments.

"Move it! Go on, git!" Dr. Frederick Chase was nearly beet red in the face as he pushed and shoved his way through the thick crowds of people as he and his daughter, Annabeth, waded through the crowd of the airport on their trip back home to California.

As Frederick pushes through the crowd, Annabeth sticks close behind so as to not get lost in the crowd. She bumped into someone in the crowd along the way, she turned her head to glare at the person. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw Percy next to her; specifically, the crazed Percy from her dreams. She blinked in shock, and he was gone, replaced by another acne-infested boy who looked a little disturbed by her staring at him. Turning away from the boy, Annabeth continues on her way with a shaken expression but managing to mask it well, all things considered.

Fortunately, the rush and crowds finally ended when they arrived at the terminal. Five minutes to spare! Frantically, they boarded the plane and ran like their lives depended on it. By the time they reach the end of the tunnel, they see the flight crew about to close the hatch to the plane. "Hold that door!" The crew look up at the Chases in surprise, allowing them to slip inside without trouble. "Thanks." He smiled, a bit breathless, before they make their way through the long aisle of the plane. Many people looked up at the two, with some glares sprinkled in, but neither cared at all.

Eventually, they reached the last two empty seats on the entire plane, right in the middle of the plane. Dr. Chase sat in the aisle seat on the right of the hall while Annabeth sat in the aisle seat on the other side. As she was about to take her seat, she stared at the man she would be sitting next to. He was easily in his 80s, with thinning silver hair that he didn't even bother combing that stretched into a thick beard, worn jeans, a long-sleeve shirt that looks wrinkled but in good condition and a moleskin brown jacket. The man was fast asleep in his seat, lightly snoring.

Resigning herself to the fact that this will be a long flight, she took her seat and laid her backpack under the seat. She looked to her father, who had plugged into an iPod he brought with him and was in the middle of working on projects likely relating to his job. Before long, the plane pulled away from the station. A few tense minutes passed before the very ground below Annabeth's feet vibrated with power. The plane started going faster and faster until the plane tipped upward and the plane flew into the air. To Annabeth's mild surprise, the man next to her didn't even respond to the pitch in noise, still snoring softly; although his expression was contorting into an anxious one.

Deciding to ignore him, Annabeth unzips her backpack and pulled out a book on United States geography, published just this year. Who knows what Annabeth will experience when her life in New Rome begins? Opening the book, she flipped to the section relating to Maine. "Castle, Castle." Annabeth muttered to herself as she scoured the entire book looking for where Castle Rock was located. The demigoddess was surprised again when the town wasn't appearing anywhere in the book, not in index, not even mentioned anywhere. But it wasn't the end of the world; this book mainly covered the highlights of the 50 states, so small towns wouldn't be covered as much.

This means that there is only one real way to find out about Castle Rock, one that made Annabeth hesitant. Looking around cautiously to see if anyone was eavesdropping, she pulled out her cellphone and pulled up a search browser. Entering in 'Castle Rock,' she watched for five tense minutes as the phone tried its best to connect to the internet. Then, like sand trickling through her fingers, the phone fails to pull up anything. Growling in frustration, she nearly throws her phone down the aisle, but stops herself from doing so at the last second. Looking at the device one last time, she realized that this search wasn't going to go anywhere and decided to stop. Putting both away, she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, getting some rest herself on the long flight.

* * *

She dreamt of being in a high school hallway, lined with lockers on one wall and windows on the other, looking out onto a dark cloudy day and rain pattering on the walls and lightning booming outside, making the windows vibrate and the lockers flash to reflect the light back. Shakily, Annabeth steps through the clean hallways. Instinctively, she reached for her weapon, only to realize that it was not at her side. She then heard a soft set of sobbing from before, another room on her right. Now interested, she started stepping forward.

Suddenly, the door banged open and a scrawny boy with light freckling stumbled out from the hall, holding his side. He then collapsed to the ground and tried clawing forward, only to go still from the intense bleeding. Annabeth could only stare at the corpse in surprise. 'What could have done this?' Walking into the classroom, what lied on the inside almost made Annabeth recoil in disgust. As a demigoddess, she had experienced more than her fair share of gore, horrific scenery, the terribly hideous Arachne, hell, she even dredged through the deepest trenches of Tartarus and faced a physical incarnation of the primordial god. But this was on another scale altogether.

The classroom inside was an absolute bloodbath. Students and teachers were piled on top of each other, blood caking the walls. The blood spatter was so intense that Annabeth honestly couldn't make out any defining details of the corpses, which she would later be grateful for. Standing over the piles of corpses was a young boy with messy brown hair. He was holding a smoking submachine gun in hand, and he was on the verge of breaking down into tears. "I'm sorry. By the Lord's name, I am sorry. I have been weak in will and opened thyself to be consumed by the forces of evil."

Suddenly, the silent pounding of rain is cut off from the sounds of whooping and flashing red and blue lights blare into the room. "This is the police! Come out with your hands up!"

The boy ignored the voices, proceeding to stare at his gun. His hands started shaking and Annabeth noticed the veins in his arms turning a deep purple. "I shall never take another life, as I shall never again be a tool for Satan's will." He then stuck the barrel of the gun deep into his mouth…Blam!

This time, Annabeth flinched as the gun started oozing bullets that tore through every stretch of flesh in his skull before both the body and the gun fell to the ground. The deafening silence that followed shook Annabeth to her core. Just what was going on? Now, a loud screeching noise came from the boy's corpse, and the boy started glowing with a vivid purple light.

* * *

The dream changed. Annabeth was now standing in the center of a rather small town park in the dead of night, with a stage directly in front of her. She looked around the town, noticing that no one is in the town; that didn't stop her from feeling like she was being watched. "Hello?" Annabeth called, trying to catch anyone's attention. Silence greeted her. Looking around cautiously, she started walking towards some of the nearest buildings while reaching to her side. This time, however, her sword was at her side. Unsheathing the simple drakon bone sword, she kept her eyes open. The battle instincts that have saved her life more times than she'd care to remember, were blaring at her like a foghorn. "Is this Castle Rock?"

Then, she felt a crunch under her shoes. Looking down, she picked up a yellowing flyer and the words 'MISSING' and showing a picture for a rather young boy wearing a yellow raincoat smiling at her. The more the daughter of Athena looked at the picture, the more she felt unnerved. What set her off was when the boy in the picture turned his head in her direction and smiled, and not a pleasant one; the creases on his lips curling into a sneer gave off the image of a boy versed in cruelty and wickedness untold. Annabeth dropped the flyer, taking a deep breath. Then, something else clicked in Annabeth's mind. She looked to the sky and her breath hitched.

There were no stars in the sky! The entire sky was a thick blanket of black, with no light shining down on her at all. This made no sense. Where were no stars, and how could she see anything if it was pitch black? It's almost like something was blocking the stars from view.

As if to taunt her further, the sky above split open, revealing a pair of red eyes, with two pupils slanted in opposite directions. The mere presence that Annabeth felt from this entity afraid. It did not have the same presence of Night or even Tartarus, but this being felt more dangerous than almost any other monster she'd ever faced, including the Titans and Giants.

"What is this I spy with my own eyes?" The voice boomed in Annabeth's mind. The girl herself stared up at the giant being, transfixed. She literally couldn't take her eyes off of whatever it was. "Who are you?"

Despite the fear welling up in Annabeth, she slid one foot back and raised her sword towards the pair of eyes. "I am Annabeth Chase. Leave now and I will spare your life."

The being chuckled darkly down at her. "Pleased to meet you, Annie. Hope you guessed my name."

She could only stare back at him, stunned by its attitude but honestly confused. She had no idea what it was talking about.

What followed was a blast of wind that made the leaves on the trees quiver, almost like the being was sighing. "Man, people just don't have a good education these days. Oh well. I'll be seeing you around, sweetheart." Suddenly, a blast of pain shot through Annabeth's mind, so sharp that she had to grip her head in a vain attempt to stop the pain.

* * *

"No!" Annabeth jolted forward in her seat, slamming her nose into the seat in front of her. Recoiling in pain, she held it while groaning in pain. The passenger turned to glare at Annabeth.

"You mind not doing that again?" She asked, to which Annabeth nodded. The woman turned around while grumbling. Annabeth looked to her father, who was staring at his daughter.

His expression was clear as crystal: 'Are you alright?'

Annabeth could only nod and smile in an assuring manner, then lean back in her seat, trying to regain her breathing. "Are you alright, dear?" She looked to her companion, who was awake and staring at her with a troubled expression. He then took a bottle of water and gave it to Annabeth. "Here, drink. You look peaked."

She took the bottle, more grateful than anything, and took a big swig. Only now did she realize how thirsty she was. One drink became two and before she knew it, she had drunk the whole bottle. "Ah. Thank you." She said, wiping some water from her mouth. Now that she thought about it, does Percy ever have to worry about a dry mouth?

The man nodded, smiling slightly. "James." She looked at him curiously. "I'm William James."

"Annabeth Chase." She then leaned back in her seat. The rest of the flight passed in an awkward silence before touching down on the runway of California.

Like raging bulls, Frederick and Annabeth pushed through the crowds at the San Francisco airport, where a group of Roman demigods from Camp Jupiter will pick up Annabeth and take her to Camp for the festival.

In the meantime, they made their way to the carousel where a massive crowd had already gathered together. Frederick sighed, annoyance radiating from the man. "Fine. Annabeth, dear, stay here. I'll get our luggage." He then wadded through the crowds, pushing himself through the even see the track.

Annabeth sighed. She supposed she should be grateful for having a somewhat smooth flight, except those dreams bother her. She'd had disturbing dreams for so long as a demigod that she'd gotten used to them and thought she'd seen it all. But those dreams had a different effect. It was like staring into the cold, golden eyes of Cronus for the first time, but the feeling was different; and this difference made her afraid. Suddenly, a hand clasped on her right shoulder. She whirled around and saw William staring at her with a kind smile. "Relax, Annabeth." He then took his hand off her shoulder, and his expression turned rigid like staring at a statue. "You were having some. Pretty intense dreams there, missy. And I have to know something. What do you know about Castle Rock?"

The question sunk in and Annabeth's eyes widened in surprise. 'How did he know?' He saw her expression and gave a sad smile. "You talk in your sleep. Now, tell me. Please. How did you hear about that place?"

She stared at him; he knew about Castle Rock! She wanted more than anything to pull that information from him, but realized it would be futile. Instead, she chose a different tactic. "A friend told me."

A moment of silence passed. William let out a sigh of relief. "I suppose I should be grateful. But let me give you some free advice, missy. Forget it. Forget you ever heard that name, and stay away from your friend. It will save you a lot of heartache down the road." Before Annabeth could question him further, William turned around and walked through the crowds.

"Wait!" Annabeth shouted, chasing after him. She ran headlong into another boy in the process, but she got up immediately and looked around. Like a wisp of vapor, William James had disappeared.

"You're lucky." She looked to the boy she ran into. He was tall, with long black hair in a ponytail, a light tan on his muscular arms which were covered in tattoos, and wearing a white tank top with ripped jeans. He was glaring at her with an almost feral rage and pointing in her direction. "Your life is safe for now. Don't think you'll be so lucky next time." He then turned around and walked away, escorted by his friends.

Shakily, the daughter of Athena pushed herself up and made her way back to where she once stood, where her father was waiting. "I was going to the bathroom."

Simply nodding but not looking quite convinced, the two made their way out of the airport where a cherry red Jeep Wrangler with the top down was waiting out front, as Annabeth was told. Sitting in the drivers' seat a rather buff man, and one other girl Annabeth knew all too well. "Piper!"

She looked up, and beamed. The two embraced each other, having not seen each other in months. "How are you, Annabeth?"

Annabeth simply smiled. "I'm alright."

Piper's smile faltered as she looked around. "Where's Percy?" She looked inquisitively. "Did you scare him off or something?"

The daughter of Athena couldn't help but laugh at that. "No. He's on a family vacation."

"Really?" Piper looked at Annabeth, her cheerful attitude dying off. "Where's he going to?"

Annabeth paused. She wanted to tell her friend, but decided against it. This was Percy's business, and no one else. "He didn't say. How are you holding up?"

Now it was Piper's turn to look glum. After all, it wasn't that long ago since her boyfriend, Jason Grace, died. While Annabeth was rather vague on the details, it involved an attack on Camp Jupiter involving a monster summoned by the ghost of a Roman Emperor. "I'm alright. I just wish that things between us had resolved." A small smile had crept onto her face. "Man, we really suck with boyfriends, don't we?"

The two chuckled slightly. Annabeth then looked to the back of the Jeep. "Can I climb aboard?"

Piper's expression went from saddened to mortified in a heartbeat. "Oh, Gods! I'm so sorry about being so rude. This is on me." As Piper went to hauling Annabeth's bags and luggage into the back, Annabeth walked up to her father.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." He then placed a hand on his daughter's face. "I can't believe how much you've grown. I'm so proud of you."

The two then embrace for a long moment before pulling away. "Thank you. I will be seeing you soon." She then turned around and made her way to the Jeep, getting seated in the backseat. Promptly, the Jeep took off and sped down the road, likely breaking many speeding laws, as they made their way along the road and towards the hills where Camp Jupiter and New Rome were waiting.

As much as Annabeth wanted to be excited for the life she will lead and that not even the dreams she'd had in just a day would sour this, something told Annabeth that whatever was going on was far from over; in fact, she felt like a series of events had just come full circle and some new evil was just on the horizon, waiting for some unknown signal.


	4. I Meet a Homicidal New Neighbor

**July 22****nd****, 2011**

* * *

Sally was right from the beginning about Castle Rock. Percy Jackson thought he would have a rather boring trip, and that was before he was smacked around by a demonic deer.

It all started when the Blofis family first arrived at Castle Rock. The small Maine town was exactly as Percy imagined in his dreams. The town itself was showing its age, with buildings losing their white paint and cracked roads. Ironically, some of the more historic buildings, such as the old factory that had been turned into a grocery store, are in considerably better shape. Separating the two halves of the town was a small river that wasn't as polluted as the New York rivers, but Percy wondered vaguely what the river god was like. Soon, they passed through the small town as Paul and Percy looked out of the windows at the city, watching as people went about their business or occasionally staring at them. Sally, for the entire drive through town, was silent yet fully focused on the road. The demigod saw her hands on the wheel, nearly white from gripping the wheel too hard. She was clearly angry about being back in her birth town.

The drive continued on and on until they reached the edge of town where the hospital was built at. It was a clean facility that is square in shape, about 6 stories high, and a drive-through built in. Sally tried pulling into a parking space, only for someone else to take her place. Sighing in annoyance, she then drove around the corner to find another parking space close by. The car pulled in, and finally came to a stop. "We're here." They stepped out of the car and walked right into the hospital. The elderly lady sitting behind the wall at the front desk was looking down, not paying attention to the other Castle Rock residents sitting patiently.

"Yes?" She looked up, annoyed. However, her expression brightened considerably when she saw my mom. "Sally!" She got up and walked around the corner, pulling Sally into a hug. "I can't believe you're back, especially what happened…"

"Yes, I'm glad to be back." She said, cutting off anything else the woman was going to say.

Her expression darkened. "I'm so sorry to hear about your uncle. Did you come to see him?" Sally gave the woman a nod. "Wonderful! Come with me!" She guided us down the halls, where doctors were walking in all direction, doing who knows what. She then turned around and looked right at me. For a moment, she gave a nostalgic smile before looking straight ahead again. Now, Percy stared at her back, wondering what was going through her head. In fact, a lot of people were staring at Mom as they walked by. Why?

But Percy never had much chance to think about it before they reached the hospital room where great-uncle Joe was apparently waiting for us. An elderly man on an overstuffed bed lay hooked up too many strange machines, with wires traveling in every which way. The sleeping man had the look of someone who had experienced many fights in his life. He had long white hair stretching to the back of his head, wrinkled skin, and a massive red scar running along his forehead. Mom walked over to his side, and took Joe's hand. "Uncle?"

Slowly, the man opened his eyes and looked around the room before his eyes fell on Mom. "Sally. Why are you here?" He said, his voice coarse and each word difficult to say. He then frowned and looked to his left arm. "Why can't I move my arm?"

My mom frowned. "You suffered a stroke."

"And you came all this way to see me?" Joe chuckled, a touch of bitterness in his voice. "Fuck me. Had I known this would get me to see you again, I should have eaten like shit years ago."

Paul smiled slightly at that, but like Percy, he had no idea what to say exactly nor break up the reunion. Joe then looked at me, and a flash of something strange came onto his face before masking it. While Percy wasn't exactly great at reading people's thoughts, he could interpret expressions well enough and the man had a look along the lines of terror. "Ah, Percy. Look at how much you've grown." He then looked to Mom. "Sally, you shouldn't have come back. But I'm glad you did."

Mom sighed slightly. "Joe, I never had a chance to come and say thank you for everything you did for me. I wish to return the favor to you."

Joe let out a laugh. It wasn't a pleasant laugh, more like a barking laugh. "That's the Sally I know. As you can see, I'm going to Shitsville, Nebraska right now. But please, stay in the Jackson family house as long as you'd like."

Sally could only stare at Joe with outrage. "Joe, I moved out of that house so I could live a life on my own, without the family money and resources. We're going to 47 West Broadway."

"Your old house? I'm sorry to say, but it burnt down years ago in a fire." For some reason, he looked towards me when he said that.

Sally looked shocked, trying to find the right things to say. This was when Paul finally spoke up. "It's alright. We'll stay at the house and we'll be back tomorrow to see you. Is this alright?"

Joe looked to Paul, and looked genuinely confused. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Paul Blofis, sir. I'm Sally's wife."

Joe's complexion brightened. "Congratulations. I'm sorry that I never heard of a wedding, or I would have sent gifts."

Sally smiled slightly. "Wonderful. Well, we'll let you rest. See you tomorrow."

As they were about to leave, Joe called out to Sally who looked at him. "Thank you for coming back. I have done so much with my life, some of which I want to make up to you." He then started coughing violently and left before the doctors could throw a fit that his exertion.

Getting back into the car, she let out a long sigh. Paul placed a hand around her shoulders and smiled. "Hey. It's going to be alright. We'll get through this together, okay?"

She looked to her husband, and smiled. "You're right. So, would you like to see the family estate?"

Percy could only be confused by that, but decided to hold the questions off until they arrived. Soon, the truck pulled out and left the hospital, leaving it behind in minutes. They passed through the town once more towards the other side of the town and into the residential areas. They started passing by the smaller homes before reaching big, old residential homes. Along the way, Sally stopped and stared at one particular house that is two stories tall, has a large patio and stone walkway to the house. When Percy looked, he saw the mailbox and saw the name 'Deaver' written on it. Sitting on the patio was an elderly woman with a withdrawn look. "You okay?"

Sally blinked at her son's question. "Nothing. Just driving down memory lane." The drive continued on and on. It was when they turned off the main residential road to the right and entered the forest that the wilderness of Maine felt truly wild and untouched by men. After five long minutes, the car pulled up to a new house. It was clearly an old one-story house, but somehow it looked completely new with the fresh coating of white painting on the walls and the windows gleaming like crystal in the sunlight. The red, tiled roof was slanted directly downward. Directly in the middle of the roof was a red-bricked chimney that is currently sitting dormant. Despite not looking attended to for several days, the property looked stunning and so remote no one in the world could ever find them if they wanted.

Despite the beauty of the land, Percy had so many questions: If Sally had so much support and an estate in the family name, why did the two live in a tiny apartment for years? Why did they have financial issues at all? The three got out of the car looked and looked around. Paul couldn't help whistling. "Sally, I had no idea your family had such a fantastic piece of history. This has to date back to early New England days, when the colonies were first made."

"Yes." Sally said curtly. "The thing is, my ancestors were never the wealthiest people or the most famous. But the Jacksons were some of the original residents of Castle Rock, and they built this place so as to be isolated from the rest of the world."

Soon, the bags are pulled out of the truck and they haul everything inside the house and through the front entrance. The inside was just as vibrant as the vibrant, with white walls, navy blue furniture near a fireplace in the living room, a large kitchen and a hallway to the left leading to the bedroom.

"I can't believe we're here." Sally said, looking frustrated but strangely relieved about the environment.

Paul, however, looked ecstatic. "As am I. As we've got nothing planned today, I am going to find a quiet place to write. A quaint New England town, an isolated house in the middle of the woods, why, the story writes itself!"

Sally smiled in amusement while Percy was mesmerized. Percy always found New York to be an oppressive environment, with buildings and judgmental people looking down upon Percy. Here, however… Percy never realized how truly liberated he felt before entering the house.

This feeling would dissolve soon, however, as the rest of the day passed. Sally went back to Castle Rock to pick up supplies for dinner and Paul spent his time in the master bedroom, writing a new story he was working on. And Percy? He was pacing the living room, looking for something to do. He wanted more than anything to contact Annabeth and tell her about his home, but chose not to as it would only tip others off where he was. By the time an eternity passed for Percy, which was actually an hour, he had enough. He stepped outside of the house and stared at the static-grey sky and the swaying treetops of the wilderness around him. The forest itself almost seemed to moan loudly in the breeze blowing through the leaves. Instead of peace and serenity that Percy normally feels in nature, partly due to Grover's affiliation with nature itself, Percy instead felt dread. There was something in these woods that did not sit well with the demigod, and he wanted to know why.

Then, as if in a trance, Percy started walking straight ahead, right into the forest itself. The trees overhead, which were at least 30 feet tall, loomed darkly and almost completely covering Percy from the depressing sky overhead. He wandered on and on through the woods, looking straight ahead unblinking. The deeper Percy went into the forest, the more he instinctively tightened his grip wrapped around the ball-point pen holding his weapon, Riptide.

Suddenly, he slammed his foot into a thick tree root sticking out of the ground, sending a sharp spike of pain through his body. Percy then stopped in place, blinking rapidly and looking around frantically. Where was he? Why was he walking in the forest without telling anyone what he was doing? He may be as reckless as Annabeth told him many times, but he wasn't stupid enough to do this. Percy looked around him, making a complete 360 while fear crept into him. He may not have had Grover's insight into the nature of the forest, but even Percy could tell something was wrong. Something seemed to be watching him, and it wasn't friendly. In fact, the only time Percy felt like he was being watched so closely was back in the depths of Tartarus.

A sharp scream tore through the thick air, making Percy nearly jump out of his skin. He looked in the direction of the scream, and started running in that direction. There, lying in the middle of a small clearing filled with dirt and leaves, was a dark-skinned man wearing thick jeans, a flannel shirt, a thick backpack on his pack containing likely camping gear, and thick black hiking boots. He was screaming in pain while staring at his leg, which was in hideous condition. Something had obviously taken an interest in the man, as there was a massive bite in his leg, it wasn't even twitching, and blood was spilling in every direction. Despite the horrifying scene, Percy was rather shaken. Not by the sight, as Percy had seen worse things in his life, but by what he felt seeing it. He felt…hungry, like he wanted to walk up to the man and chomp his face off, putting him out of his misery.

Percy took some effort but managed to restrain the sensation, and ran over to the man. "Are you alright?" He asked.

The man looked up at him incredulously. "What does it fucking look like? Some mountain lion or something took a huge fucking bite out of me!"

Percy looked around frantically and noticed two thick branches. Perfect. He grabbed the branches and placed them on either side of his leg, snagged the excessively large bandana wrapped around the right strap of the backpack, and wrapped it around his leg. "Here. Let's get you to a hospital." Percy held out his hand to help him up, then he heard it. The presence that was watching him before was back, and it screeched like the braying of a deer, but much higher in pitch and able to pierce through the forest. Percy stood up, looking around in all directions for where the noise was coming from. Deciding to throw caution to the wind as a monster he fought before would appear, he pulled out his ball-point pen and uncapped it. The celestial bronze sword sprung to life, gleaming brightly against the shade of the Maine woods. The man behind Percy stared at the weapon with a slack jaw. 'Where the hell did that baseball bat come from?'

The demigod kept looking around, holding up the weapon. The monster screeched louder than before, and to Percy's horror, more screeches chimed in. Percy then whirled to a point in the forest where a tree had been stepped on and collapsed to the ground, and shadows danced around Percy. As he kept his eyes open and the shadows seemed to close in, Percy heard the man behind him shout in fear. Percy turned around, and saw something that made Percy afraid, but hold his blade higher than before. The man was pulled far away from Percy and his body was torn open; his organs pulled out all across the ground. Standing above the half-eaten corpse was a monster that Percy had never seen before, not even down in Tartarus. It was easily 15 feet tall, standing on its hind legs ending with large, bloody hooves. Its meaty arms formed long, jagged claws had intestines hanging in midair and the man's blood dripping from the sides. The torso was so skeletal that Percy could see the organs pulsing inside its body, but most haunting of all was the head. The two horns had two dozen points on each supported by a three-feet-long head that resembled a deer with a forked tongue and fangs the size of a great white sharks.

The monster's yellow eyes bore into Percy's very soul, daring him to make the first move. It then stared at the celestial bronze sword, and snarled at the sight of the weapon, which gleamed even brighter than before. Without reason, it charged forward and tried to slice Percy's stomach open. He rolled under the slash and stabbed the monster in the arm. It let out a screech of pain, especially after Percy pulled out Riptide. To his great surprise, it did not disintegrate into dust like most monsters do after a simple stabbing from celestial bronze. He'd faced monsters that don't immediately die from a single stab, but this wasn't a Titan or Giant, nor did it have the notoriously tough hide of a Drakon. 'What is this thing?'

All Percy could do was dodge from side to side, keeping at a distance from the monster's reach as it moved around as if made of air. Every now and then, Percy would get some jabs in and weaken the monster, but it would keep pressing on. Eventually, Percy was backed into an ankle-deep marsh in the woods. Energy coursed through Percy who looked up in defiance at the beast as it stared at him, rage building in its eyes. Then, it stepped backward and disappeared from sight. A silent crack occurred behind Percy, who swung the weapon around. It was perfect timing to deflect the open-pawed slash to Percy's face. It was surprised by the strike and the power behind it, as it recoiled and became dazed. Not wasting any time, Percy lunged forward and stabbed the ribcage. The sword pierced right through to the other side of the ribcage, with Percy twisting the blade to the left and right to dig it in deeper. The monster bellowed in agony, and stumbled out of the swamp. Staring the monster down gave Percy a new idea, something he thought crazy but with something like this, he couldn't pull any punches. Concentrating on the water all around him, the swamp started swirling around him, forming a small hurricane and forming a large fist that punched the left side of the downed beast. Once done, he walked forwards, planning on reclaiming Riptide from the still-rolling monster. When it rolled back where it faced him, he pulled the sword out.

The monster let out one last bellow of agony then went completely limp. But again, it did not do what Percy expected. Its body disintegrated into black smoke, scattering in the cold sky. Some of it tried to fly towards Percy, but he summoned a wall of water. It constantly punched at the wall, trying in vain to break through, before finally disappearing from view to go Gods-know-where.

Percy fell onto his back, exhausted. This was a fight he hadn't had in a long time, and it scared him. What was such a dangerous monster doing out here in the woods of Maine? What were these things, anyway? But perhaps the scariest question of all challenges everything Percy thought he knew: why didn't it disintegrate into golden dust like every other immortal monster Percy had faced?

It was when the screeching and crashing of trees started again that Percy's heart truly sunk. It wasn't enough to deal with one of these monsters, was it? As he shakily stood up with his sword in hand, he saw more of the same monsters staring at him from the edges of the forest, shrouded in shadow and mist. In all, he counted six more completely surrounding him. When one screeched, the others would follow suit in answer. When Percy expected to fight to the very end, the monsters did something he never expected. The mist thickened around him, to the point where he couldn't even see two feet in front of him. Percy twisted and turned, looking for any opening the other monsters would use to their advantage. After a few seconds, the mist subsided completely, and to Percy's absolute astonishment, the monsters were gone. The forest fell silent once more, broken only by the sounds of moving water.

For the first time since the fight began, Percy lowered his sword and took a moment to catch his breath. Something happened to make these monsters let him go, and Percy was not willing to stick around to find out why. Thus, he started sprinting through the woods. Faster and faster he went like his life depended on it, which it did, and where he was only running on pure instinct. At times, he would stumble but he would always catch himself before going on.

After what felt like an eternity and Percy had given up hope, the forest parted ways and he was back at the Jackson house! The son of Poseidon turned around and looked back at the gloomy woods, which almost moaned in protest at losing Percy, but it seemed that normal nature had returned…for now.

"Percy!" He turned to the voice, seeing Sally looking at him with a worried expression. "Are you okay?"

He simply nodded. He didn't want to scare his mother with the things he was considering. While she didn't seem to quite buy it, she still accepted the answer for now. "Well, come on in. Dinner's waiting." She walked inside and Percy followed close behind.

As he was about to walk inside, he stopped and looked back out to the woods. He needed to know what he would be up against for the time he would be staying in Castle Rock, and if any other monsters of the like should be expected. But something else bothered him more than anything else; he was being watched. Percy wanted to dismiss the presence as the monsters keeping an eye on him, but deep down, he couldn't help but feel like something else had been watching him.

Silently, Percy made a vow: whoever was watching in those woods, challenging him to survive what lay ahead, Percy would overcome any challenge set before him and figure out what was really going on in this cold, cursed land.


	5. I get a Clue

**July 26****th****, 2011**

* * *

For the first time since arriving in Maine, Percy couldn't help but grin in triumph.

Just ten minutes before, I was standing in front of the old Jackson family barn right near the house the very next evening. It did not take long at all for Percy to become restless and start looking through the land. Okay, Percy would admit it, his decision may or may not have been influenced by _The Goonies_, which he watched just last night to pass time. But that doesn't change the fact that Percy was scared out of his mind about those monsters he fought in the forest.

Of course, that very same night, in the cold of his bathroom, Percy pulled out one of his golden drachmas. He turned on the faucets and the sound of roaring hot water pounded upon his eardrums like a song from an ancient tribe. The demigod pulls out a golden drachma from his pocket and positions the coin to flip it into the water, ready to create an Iris message to Annabeth. As he's about to flick the coin, he looks at the face, which seems to be leering back up at him without his knowledge. 'Without his…'

The thought struck Percy like a knife to his ear, and sweat started perspiring on his temples. He was about to contact Annabeth as she was on her way to the Festival, when he would be putting himself at risk of someone unwanted eavesdropping on the conversation. It would break his cover and someone would ride here to rescue Percy before he can figure out what is going on here and indirectly kill his mother and stepfather. Don't get Percy wrong, he knows they can handle themselves in a fight, but this might be out of their leagues. He wanted to know more than anything else in the world at the moment, and that for now he was on his own. And as terrible as it was for Percy to admit, it felt nice.

Making up his mind after another sleepless night, Percy snuck out of bed and the house and went to the nearby barn. The building smelled of fresh paint, and the darkness made Percy more than a little on edge. In fact, aside from Tartarus, this place is one of the only places Percy had been to that felt so cursed. Taking out his sword, he slashed the lock and cutting it clean in half as he had hoped.

The door swung inward as Percy stepped inside. The inside smelled of rotting hay and was so dark Percy couldn't see anything 2 feet in front of him. Fortunately, he brought along a flashlight and clicked it on. He stepped through the barn, seeing only bundles and bundles of hay on the verge of rotting. Smelled like Smelly Gabe's socks at the end of the day.

Cringing slightly at the memory, he continues walking around. Silence reigned inside, with the exception of the doors creaking in the light wind blowing through. As he was walking through, he heard a loud crack throughout the barn, making him lift his sword in alarm. Seeing no threat charging towards him, Percy lowered his sword. But when he moved his foot aside, he saw something that made him crouch down to look closer. A hole was formed underneath him, a hole revealing something underneath. Now interested, Percy grabbed the edges of the hole and pulled. A whole square, about 3 feet by 3 feet, swung outward showing another chamber underneath.

Astonished, Percy noticed a wooden ladder near the hole. He climbed down the ladder to the bottom and swung his flashlight. What he saw in this room made him grin.

Lining the walls of the room are rows upon rows of hanging weapons. Swords, spears, hunting knives, sniper rifles, hunting rifles, machine guns, submachine guns, turrets, shotguns, RPGs and somehow, a gleaming bronze cannon with 4 wooden crates surrounding it. By the Gods, it was the greatest collection of weapons he had ever seen; the Hephaestus cabin had nothing on this stash. The further down the room Percy went, the more he noticed and was in awe of all this. At the halfway point, he found himself staring at a picture of two men wearing bizarre wigs shaking hands with the American flag only depicting 13 stars in a circle and the same cannon sitting next to Percy on the right and the army on the left clearly looking more organized and the officers wearing blue jackets and pointed hats. In front of the framed painting, sitting on a wooden stand, is a long musket with a knife attached on the end.

But Percy had not seen it all still. Now he had moved on to more tables filled with clips upon clips of ammunition to supply the guns that could alone supply a small army. Then he saw mannequins in different positions, each wearing sets of different clothes from all eras of history. American revolution, Civil war, both world wars, and military gear that to Percy seemed to jump out from the movie _Aliens_. Unlike the other uniforms, this one was camouflage-colored, had no sleeves, a thick vest lined with ammo pouches and two more hanging from opposite sides, green shirts and pants, combat boots. To top it off, a thick camouflaged helmet that has a flashlight on the left, a deck of playing cards and a cigarette on the right and emblazoned in jet black wording is the phrase, 'I Heart Marquis de Sade.' Percy was not exactly sure what that meant as history always gave him a headache, but had the feeling he must not have been a pleasant man.

Finally, at the very end of the room, lay a thick wooden chest. Judging by the aging of the metal lock, the chest had not been opened in a long time. After he set Riptide on the table, he tried to pry it off, but it was significantly stronger than he expected. Pulling with all his might, it slipped from his sweaty palms and he pulled himself towards the floor. "Alright. So that's how you want to play." He grabbed the sword again, he swung down again. To his surprise, it did not cut through like butter but it did leave a crack in the lock. The lock suddenly felt wrong to Percy and his eyes widened when he realized it; the lock was magic. Now realizing his interest in the chest to begin with, he clanged the weapon again and again against the lock until it bifurcated, the pieces falling to the ground in a heap.

Now finished, Percy pulled the chest open and the smell made Percy gag violently; the old warm smell was almost like he was back in Tartarus. When the smell subsided, he looked inside and saw a small wooden box. It was not nearly as dramatic as anything else in the room, but it almost seemed to be calling out to him. Now wary, Percy reached in and grabbed the box carrying it to another table and opened the box. What the box contained made Percy blink. Lined with black velvet, the gun it held looked exactly like a Colt Single Action Army pistol but there were several things that made it strange immediately. The metal itself was a blue-grey steel, the pistol itself was easily twice as big as any other pistol Percy had ever seen, the wood was smooth with a symbol of a curved vine and three leaves sticking out in differing directions, and the grip looked brand new. What made Percy more surprised, if it's possible at this point, the gun felt perfect in his right hand. Looking down the sight, it felt good and coordinated. Whoever made this gun certainly knew what they were doing.

Out of interest, Percy tucked the pistol into his pocket and took the twelve .45 caliber bullets also lining the box and putting them inside. Thank you, Paul, for learning so much about Wild West guns for the novel he had been working on for months now.

Putting the box back in the chest and closing it, Percy made his way out of the room, shut the trap door while covering the whole with a hay bail then made his way back to the main house. As he sneaks through, a light flicked on and Sally walks into the kitchen to grab some water. She did not notice Percy staring at her from out the window and went back to bed. Taking action, Percy slides the door open and slips inside, closing the window behind him and making his way back to his bedroom.

It was a big room with a large bed with sea green covers, copper headboard and footboard, white walls, and a closet bigger than both his closets from apartments in New York…combined. Percy pulled the gun and bullets out, opened a bottom drawer and hid it underneath his underwear. His mind was so focused on the gun he found and the weapons depot he found that he was able to get back to bed and fall asleep, his mind taken off the demons.

* * *

**July 27th, 2011**

* * *

The next morning, Percy woke up happy. He made his way into the kitchen where Sally was sipping on a cup of coffee. "Morning, Percy."

"Morning." Percy went to grab his breakfast. "Where's Paul?"

Sally sighed. "He's found the attic last night, and has spent 3 hours up there already writing."

Percy nodded. He had to have been the most excited to see the old family house. Maybe he should show Paul the secret cache he found in the barn. "So, Mom, are we going to see your uncle today?"

She pursed her lips. "He had a surgery today. The doctors for trying out Cyclodextrin to dissolve the fat deposits. He won't see anyone for days."

If Percy had any illusions about being able to last at the house today, he was proven wrong by the first hour. By the second, he was ready to break something.

At this point, Percy made his choice. He went into his parent's bedroom and grabbed the Toyota keys off the nightstand. "I'll see you soon. I want to know how Maine does cheeseburgers."

"Okay. Stay safe, Percy." She said, looking troubled about something but keeping quiet. He got into the truck, pulled out of the driveway, and drove down the winding road. It really was a beautiful part of the world and saw why Grover wanted to go to Maine so often; it really was a shame he couldn't make it here.

After a solid ten minutes, he arrived back in downtown Castle Rock. Compared to the clean New England home, the town looked worse than when Percy first saw it. He drove around town until he found it. _Castle Rock Diner_ could be the place! Pulling into a parking spot, he stepped out and walked inside. The place looked like it had never left the 1950's with checkered floors and stuffed red stationary seats. Taking one of the spots, a waitress noticed and walked over. Upon noticing him, the waitress's eyes widened. "Percy?"

He looked at her, not knowing who she was at all. "Do I know you?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry. What can I get you?"

"Your best cheeseburger."

She nodded and put in the order. He looked around at the other customers at the restaurant. All of them seemed to be Castle Rock residents and they were giving Percy quick glances before returning to their meals.

His head turns to the source of a really delicious smell and saw what could have been the thickest cheeseburger he'd ever seen taken from the stand and placed in front of his seat. "Bon appetite." The waitress bowed then walked back behind the counter. Not wasting a second, he grabbed the burger and dug in. It was not the best burger he ever had, but Percy liked it enough and after the waiting around home he experienced, it tasted even better.

When he was done, he left behind a few dollar bills for the meal and walked out of the restaurant. Stretching his arms, he took a deep breath and took in the cold air. Clouds started forming overhead and thunder rumbling in the distance. Wonder what Zeus is mad about this time.

Percy looked around before his eyes fell upon the river running through the town. He lowered his arms and made his way to the river. If a spirit does live here, it would know something about the town. After a five minute walk, Percy was sitting at the edge of the bank. The demigod lifted his right hand and dunked it into the river. Silence. Nothing happened at all. Just when Percy thought he should give up; a voice spoke to him. 'Who the fuck are you?'

The water itself pulled Percy into the river. He let out a loud shout, not expecting the water to be so cold. The further he sunk into the riverbed, the colder it got; it reached the point where Percy blacked out.

* * *

He now found himself standing on the bank of the river with the overcast sky overhead and the town around him silent as a cemetery. "I will ask once more. Who the fuck are you?"

Percy turned to the voice and almost recoiled. The entity standing next to Percy looked exactly like a man, but his body was so aged and scar-ridden that Percy couldn't help but stare at each scar and wonder where each one came from. He was wearing a black tuxedo the type aristocrats in London would wear and a sleek black hat that rested upon his frail silver hair. His teeth were sharpened into fangs and his breath smelled like decaying human flesh. "I'm Percy Jackson, sir. Are you the river god here?"

The spirit's blue eyes flashed with absolute loathing, then it softened. "Yes. Many years ago, lord Poseidon sent a Potamoi to watch over this land. He did not like it. He did not trust it, so he sent a spirit loyal to him to be the patron of this fucking monstrosity called Castle Rock."

"I can see you are doing a good job here."

Percy then wondered if he overstepped as the spirit glared at him again before he sighed. "You are just like your father, Percy Jackson. Born of sin, welcome to my home. Tell me, why are you here?"

Percy shifted from one foot to the other, not sure how to say it without getting his face blasted off. "Well, I came to protect my mother and her husband."

In an instant, the spirit grabbed Percy's throat and started squeezing. It felt like liquid fire was touching his neck, making the skin burn. "Don't bullshit me, boy. I sense you are partly telling the truth, but I sense that you are concealing something else." He then let go, and Percy was coughing. "Why are you here?"

Percy looked up at the monster. It was a crazy idea, but if he wanted answers from the distrustful river god here, he had to pay some price in turn. "I was born in this town. I guess I had forgotten, but I never forgot that I came from here. I see it in my dreams. I feel like something is wrong here and I will give my life to make sure my family, my friends, my…" Percy paused now when thinking of Annabeth. How could he describe her at this point? She meant so much more to him than a mere girlfriend by now, but he couldn't go as far as to say wife yet. "My love." That was all he could think of?

The river god stared at him for a long moment then snorted. "How noble." He then looked to the distant skies. Percy looked and saw the darker clouds rolling towards them, lightning crackling overhead. He then turned back to the demigod and continued to talk like it did not even bother him. "I know you want information from me so I will have to be quick. Almost twenty years ago, lord Poseidon found this land and hated it. Said that it felt cursed and it turned the residents cruel. He almost wiped it out if he didn't meet the mortal who would be your mother. Still suspicious, he sent a river god who had not chosen his domain yet and would be loyal to him. I was the unlucky bastard he picked to watch over the cunts here. I haven't reported as my investigation is still going, but he was right. There is a curse on this town that draws in monsters. Monsters so ancient and cruel that I doubt they ever came from Tartarus at all."

A chill ran up Percy's spine. The god was just crazy, right? That was impossible, right? "Did you see anything else?"

"Yes! This curse, whatever it is, extends to mortals and turns even the best people into vicious cold-hearted bitches. I even believe that something else comes through this town as well." The god, from the inside of his jacket, pulled out a long sign and handed it to Percy. Looking at it, Percy saw scorch marks as if it was caught in a fire. The panel read _Needful Things_, though the wording was hard to read at times. "Show that to your mother. She knows what this means."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that whatever you seek, you can't do it alone. You need to learn what you can from those who live here. Stay away from the Stewards, they know this town better than even I do. Ask your family and they will help you."

Suddenly, the winds started picking up and a loud crack rang through the air. Rain started pouring down on them, slapping them like icicles. "How will I learn the secret here?"

"The storm has come! Stay away from the Stewards and their leader. He wanders the lands of Maine and knows everything of this town. Go to the old church, and there you will find what you seek! Goodbye, Percy Jackson!" With that, the god dissolved into water and trickled back into the river.

"Wait!" Percy leapt after him but fell into the river.

* * *

The shock made the dream cut altogether and his eyes opened. He was now on the riverbed of the river, and judging by the pattering on the surface, the thunderstorm had arrived. Forcing himself to the top, he crawled to the bank and forced himself back to his feet.

Percy did not like that river god, much less trust him, but Percy would take any chance to learn something. He ran to his Toyota and getting inside, pulled out of the diner parking lot and made his way across the bridge and to the edge of town. On the winding road back to his house was that church described. Percy sat in the running vehicle and stared at the church. A flash of light illuminated the crucifix at the top of the church, and in that instant, Percy saw something that shocked him; a human was standing on the edge. Another flash of light and their arms were spread and he began falling towards the ground!

Alarmed and quite unnerved, Percy thought of something, anything he could do to stop this to where time seemed to slow down. The noise was distracting and he rarely ever experienced so much rain in his life. In that moment, Percy remembered another lesson at Physics class at Goode High School. The class itself bored him to death like any other and made his ADHD a hassle, but he remembered something that even then he found fascinating. The more water is present in the atmosphere, the more resistance would be present and slow down a moving object.

As usual for Percy Jackson, a crazy plan formed in his mind but what choice did he have? Lifting his hands, he imagined a net made of rain drops that would slow the person down until he could safely land. Before Percy's very eyes, the water seemed to roll off the falling person and slow his descent but not fast enough. By now, it was too late before they hit the pavement.

Eyes widened and alert, Percy got out of the truck and ran to the person who lay moaning on the ground. "Hey! Are you okay?" He turned the person over and saw that he was a man. What surprised Percy was that he looked Percy's age with darkening hair due to the water buildup and freckles on his cheeks. When he saw Percy, his eyes bulged, and tried crawling away. "Get away! Keep away from… Ah!" His scream of pain pierced through the air before he fell backward, unconscious from the pain. That reaction was so strange, but Percy set it aside and placed two fingers on his neck; he found a pulse, meaning he was still alive but likely had broken ribs due to the harsh reaction. Gently, Percy picked up the body and hauled to the truck, opening the backdoor and wrapping him in a blanket to keep him warm.

Percy got into the driver's seat and started driving towards the hospital. He would do everything in his power to save this boy's life, and hopefully, get some answers.


	6. Annabeth Takes a Short Roadtrip

**July 27****th****, 2011**

* * *

No matter how many times Annabeth Chase sat on the edge of Temple Hill and stared out at the sunrise, she could never fully get used to it.

She had only been at Camp Jupiter for almost a week and the sheer familiarity with the foreign nature of the Roman architecture still threw her for a loop but the shock wasn't as bad as the first time she had set foot at the camp, when a demon had possessed her friend and sucker-punched Camp Jupiter with a cannonball.

Even from this height, she could see the construction of the Festival well under way, and it looked fantastic. Members of both Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood were working together on building up the grounds to show both Greek and Roman architecture, a symbolic crossing of two worlds that were trying to kill each other not too long ago. Banners were being strung up and fireworks were being laid out, firepits were built for camaraderie or pranks in the Stoll brother's case, and lastly, an enormous mock coliseum was well on the way in the Fields of Mars. The coliseum is where the competitions will be held, and despite being three days out, it still amazed Annabeth to no end how efficient the Roman builders really were.

But it wasn't just the view that made Annabeth come to Temple Hill, sitting next to the Temple of Minerva. Due to the busy schedule, all tours of her new home were postponed until the coming week and so many architects are on the job that Annabeth was frankly unneeded. And the dreams.

Bad demigods are nothing new to Annabeth, in fact she's had them almost her entire life. These dreams, however… they were starting to take a toll on her mentally. She looked back to the rising sun on the horizon and felt cold inside. It was like those cold red eyes of an unknown monster were staring back at her again and filling her head with imagery that would shake up even Chiron. She looked down at her left hand, holding the orange bottle of Eugeroics. It scared Annabeth how something she should be so familiar with is leaving such an impression. But she did not want to go to sleep, not after last night when she dreamt of the two-year-old boy who not only killed an elderly man next door but willingly bit his neck off.

As she continued staring out into the sunset, she started swaying and her eyes fluttering. She could afford some rest now, after two days of sleeplessness. "It's beautiful." Her eyes shot open and she looked behind her. Standing there was the elderly man she saw on the plane. He smiled at her with a slight look of sadness. "Reminds me of my home town in Nebraska only a lot more modern." He then sat down next to Annabeth who was ready to pull out her bone sword at a moment's notice. He then looked at her sadly. "I can see it in your eyes. You do not know what is happening to you, and it both scares and angers you. Come to the Fisherman's Wharf, and I will tell you what I can." He then looks up. "Someone's coming. Farewell, Annabeth Chase." When Annabeth simply blinked, the man was gone, disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Hi, Annabeth." She looked up and saw a smiling Hazel standing next to her. She was wearing the traditional Praetor's robes and had her hair braided similar to when Reyna had her hair pulled back.

"Hazel!" Annabeth stood up and hugged her friend before leaving the embrace. "How are you doing?"

Her face dropped slightly. "I've wanted one, just one date with Frank." She then sighed. "I know, my duty to New Rome comes first. But it's just… I miss the days where Frank and I sat around a fire and just talked." She then noticed the bags under Annabeth's eyes, and her expression hardened. "Are you alright?"

Annabeth rubbed her eyes and an idea came to mind. An idea only Percy could come up with, but could work. "I'm okay. I just need to get out of the camp for a little while."

"Why?"

"I have offered to help, but I am not needed. Besides, I want to go and see my family today. They live in the San Francisco area."

Hazel stared at her friend, considering what she just said; but what she said was not wrong, and sighed. "Sure. I'll get Howard to drive you to your parent's house."

Letting out a silent sigh of relief, Annabeth thanked her and made her way to the edge of the Tiber river. Howard, a Roman of the 3rd cohort was sitting at the driver's seat in a black Honda. Getting into the passenger seat, the truck promptly took off. They sped through the Caldecott Tunnel and down the highway at speeds at made Annabeth uncomfortable.

"Slow down!" Annabeth demanded when she saw that Howard was going at 90 miles an hour, and it was still rising.

"Oh, please, baby. This is how I roll." Howard replied with smugness in his voice then kept flooring it. It got to the point where he would swerve side to side to avoid hitting any other cars. "Get off the road, assholes!"

Just as he passed his 12th vehicle, they heard a loud blaring of sirens behind them. When Annabeth looked back, she saw a police car trying to keep up with them. "Just pull over."

Howard simply smirked. "Sorry, but I promised to get you to San Francisco. I won't back down now." He then sped up even more if that was even possible. It did not take any time at all for more sirens to start blaring, and soon enough they had a dozen police cars on their tail by the time they arrive at the San Francisco-Bay Bridge. At the bridge tollway, the technicians were scrambling to lock down to stop the intense speeder.

"Hang on!" Annabeth gripped the handle harder as the truck smashed down the gates with ease, followed by the other policemen.

"What are you doing?" Annabeth demanded, angry at what is happening as it was pure insanity. And for what?

"To show you what I am capable of." She couldn't help but stare at Howard in curiosity; his mirth-filled tone had some malice in it. When he looked at Annabeth's face, she gasped.

A very familiar pair of red eyes were staring back at her, replacing Howard's brown eyes. "Who are you?" Annabeth then pulled out her sword and pointed it at the son of Vulcan. While she couldn't harm him, which could kill herself in the process, maybe she could intimidate him into talking.

Howard, however, looked down at the blade and started chuckling. "You got spirit, Annabeth Chase. I can see why this Howard was so smitten with you. No, you can call me Randolph Freeman."

"What do you want?"

He simply smirked. "You. I wanted to see in person what kind of person you really are, and boy… I was not disappointed."

"Me? Why me?"

"Well, now that would spoil the surprise, wouldn't it? Well, I'm sorry but I have some friends to meet. I'll see you around with them; trust me, you will like them." In that moment, Randolph stared shaking violently and let out a scream of agony before falling unconscious and the vehicle swerving. Luckily, Annabeth grabbed the wheel and managed to pull the truck back into the lane, across the rest of the bridge and bring it to a full gentle stop on a bridge at the dock immediately after the bridge.

It seemed like the Fates really wanted her to make the meeting with William James after all. The traffic didn't make it easy, but Annabeth did it. A light groan came from Howard who sat up confused. "Wha…?" He then looked to the girl next to him. "What happened?"

"You passed out behind the wheel. I think I want to walk home."

Howard looked absolutely abashed. "Okay. You can do that."

"By the way, you might want to get out of here." She then pointed to the police cars coming up on them.

"Oh, fuck! Thanks!" He then pulled out of the lot in an effort to escape with as much dignity as possible. Annabeth then looked at her left hand; she had balled it into a fist to stop herself from shaking. When she let go, to her slight horror, she had dug her nails so deep into her palms that they broke the skin slightly.

Letting out a sigh, she started walking down the docks and taking in the seaside. It felt calming as it reminded her of Percy but it made her ten times more worried than before as to what Castle Rock was like and if he was doing alright. Eventually, she reached Pier 39, also known as the Fisherman's Wharf. The pier itself was rather light in terms of the number of tourists out and about but come lunchtime, that would change drastically.

She looked at the people who were present at the moment, then her eyes fell on the back of a man wearing a ratty trench coat staring out at the Pacific Ocean, he same one William wore in her vision. Making her way through the pier at a brisk pace, she took her place on the man's left side. "Hello again, Annabeth." He then turned his head to look at Annabeth better.

She looked into his dark eyes and saw nothing but pain and emptiness in his eyes. "Hi. How are you adjusting to San Francisco?"

"Well. I've already found shelter, food, everything I could ask for." He then looked back out at the horizon and smiled bitterly. "I know why you want to know so much about Castle Rock."

Annabeth's expression hardened; this man did not beat around the bush. "And why's that?"

"Your boyfriend. He is visiting a dying family member in a forsaken town. I hoped you would forget about that hellhole, but since he is there, I owe you an explanation." He let out a long sigh. "Do you like ghost stories?"

"Not particularly." Annabeth did not like those stories because she'd lived too many of them to be anything but repulsed.

William chuckled darkly. "Well, my story is one. I was born in Nebraska; don't ask me when, I lost track long ago. But I was adopted by a traveling family and taken to live in Castle Rock proper. The town itself was quiet but at its peak. It was great, the people liked each other, and I had a family. I did not think ill of them. Then, everything changed when I learned the universe's secret to telepathy."

Annabeth clenched her jaw. That explained how he knew so much. She knew mortals could be blessed with supernatural gifts, chiefly seeing through the Mist. But mortals actually possessing telepathy? How come she'd never heard of those people?

"I was drafted to serve as a Marine in World War Two. From storming the beaches of Normandy to taking the fight to those Krauts throughout Europe. We won the war, of course, but I lost so many friends in that battle. But it was not the scars of war that got me to leave my family behind in 1964. Upon my return home, my powers gave me insight into the minds of Castle Rock's residents. The things I saw, the secrets everyone held…" William shook slightly and nearly let go, but Annabeth grabbed his hand.

"It's okay. You are far away from those people now." Annabeth did not understand why she did this to a stranger, but the fact that he was opening up this much deserved some level of respect. To keep the conversation going, of course.

William nodded, grateful to be broken from the memories. "When I returned from the war, my powers gave me insight into other people's minds. I shut down completely and lost my job as a policeman. I almost lost my family at the time, but I couldn't lose them so I made the worst choice in my life. In 1946, I took on the first job I could find, and that was a prison guard at…" He gripped the bars tighter and his expression darkened further. "Young lady, have you ever heard of Shawshank Prison?"

A moment of silence passed. Annabeth this whole time was hiding her curiosity for his story but now she couldn't hold in her shock. "Of course. I wrote a paper about the prison for my school. It was on the architecture of the prison and how one of their prisoners had dug his way out of the prison due to patience and weak rock walls." While she slightly skewed the truth with school, she did find some information at Shawshank in the Athena cabin she was very interested in.

He nodded. "You know your stuff. Yes, I was a guard there in 1946. The money was good and some of the guards were pleasant enough as they were people like me. The head guard, Hadley, he was a bastard. He would beat up the wards on a whim and the warden let it happen. Things only got worse when we found out the prisoner who escaped was the man who started a money laundering scheme that put money directly into Norton's pocket. When that news broke, I knew I couldn't live in Castle Rock anymore. I… I…" He then sighed. "I've talked enough. I need to get going."

As he started walking away, Annabeth stared at him. "Thank you! For everything you have done."

"I didn't do it for you, though." He looked at her with a scowl. "I did it so you could get out of here and rescue your boyfriend. If I could save a pair of young souls the pain I had living in Maine, I will. But still…" He managed a slight smile. "It was nice talking with someone again. Goodbye, Annabeth Chase."

With that, he continued walking away and out of sight. Annabeth turned her attention away from the elderly man and back to the sun which had fully risen and gleamed brightly on the water. If what she heard was true, then things are worse than she had possibly imagined.

If there is one thing that Annabeth had to pick that she learned from the world of Olympians and monsters, it was that there were no such thing as coincidences. And the correspondence of Percy going away, the dreams, Shawshank Prison, Randolph… It all started when she heard that name. Everything somehow ties back to that place in the wilderness of Maine.

Annabeth did not know whether Percy was even aware of the level of danger he was in, but she knew in that moment, she was rescuing him and his entire family from what was surely to come.


	7. What A Day

**July 27****th****, 2011**

* * *

Beep, beep, beep.

Percy could only sit in absolute silence as the EKG monitor beeped loudly, signaling that the boy lying in the hospital bed was going to live through his ordeal. Oddly enough, the doctors allowed him to remain where he was until he had regained consciousness. After 15 minutes, Percy was twirling his fingers, make sound effects that would make Larvell Jones from those _Police Academy_ films proud, but mainly question how the hell he got himself into this situation in the first place.

That boy knew Percy. In Percy's long and extensive career fighting gods, monsters, and a primordial goddess made of mud, his instincts never steered him wrong and that is what they are screaming at him now. Still, it baffled the demigod where they had met before and why he looked so familiar.

It was when Percy was deep in his thoughts that the boy started gasping for air, trying to lurch forward only to be held in place by the body cast the doctors placed him in. Frantically, he looked around and then his eyes fell on Percy. His eyes widened with fear then he glared his direction. "Burn in hell, cunt." He then opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out.

Percy understood what the boy was intending to do and before he could even think, he lunged forward and placed his right index and middle finger on his tongue. Pain shot through his fingers as the teeth dug into his skin and the boy groaned. With his other hand, he grabbed his face and force him to look at Percy. "Come on! I will not let go until you tell me what is going on."

"You know who you are. Don't play ignorant with me." The muffling of his voice made it seem like he was trying to speak through a rag forced into his mouth.

"I only just got here last week!"

That got the boy to stop struggling or biting on his fingers. He looked at Percy like 'What the fuck are you talking about?' The intenseness of that stare made Percy rather uncomfortable, his open hand resting on Riptide should the worst happen. The look in his eyes seemed to soften and become afraid before releasing Percy's fingers and looking down in shame. "I'm sorry. I did not realize it was you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" By now, Percy had had enough and needed answers. His fingers deserved it.

"Look, I can't tell you right now. Go to the Willard Trailer Park, lot number 217. There you will find what you are looking for. Leave me. I'm done for." He then leans back in his bed and lets out a sigh.

Percy got up, and made his way out. He would rather not have to deal with nurses yelling at him about exhausting him or some such. Making his way out to his truck, he stopped. By now, his mom and step-father would be wondering what is going on but know better than to call him. Percy shook his head. The reason he came to Castle Rock at all was to protect his family from monsters and any other supernatural threat; in order to do it right, he needed to know why it seemed like this place was crawling with threats unseen.

Getting into the truck and turning it on, he pulled out of the parking lot. Only when he was on the road did he run into a slight problem…where was the trailer park? For once, Fate was on Percy's side. When he looked up, he saw a shabby-made sign pointing him right to where he wanted to go. "Thanks, whoever put that there." Percy then made his way along the road as the sign instructed. The road was shabby, the tires kicking up enough rocks to make a boulder. By the time Percy began questioning whether the sign was wrong, he saw a single light in the distance. The light became bigger before becoming two lights, increasing in number. Before Percy knew it, he was driving between rows upon rows of small grey buildings with lights on.

Percy noted that the people were looking at him and spared a glare before turning around and going back inside. It only took a few minutes for Percy to find the spot the boy told him about, and come to a full stop. Getting out, Percy started walking to the front door. "Hey!" Percy turned around to look at one of the residents, a rather fat woman holding a bottle of beer standing on the patio. "What are you doing back so early? Don't you like going out and showing those college punks how it's done?"

Deciding to put up an act, Percy shouted back, "Maybe they took such a beatdown I pitied them."

The woman belched. "Yeah. You're probably right. Bunch of pussies, they are." She then stumbled back into her house. Even from outside, Percy could hear her stumbled and fall to the ground, with the loud bang of beer bottles falling to the ground. Percy could only wince before reaching the front door. Taking out Riptide, he slashed the door handle open and slammed the door which gave way almost immediately. To say the inside was in bad shape would be the understatement of the century. The walls were torn to shreds, the carpet was caked in a black substance Percy did not want to know about at all, to where the ground beneath him was like asphalt. The only light inside was a single bulb glowing dully, and the smell… Percy had to resist the urge to vomit, it smelled so heavily of perfume inside. Pinching his nose, the demigod made his way through the building searching for anything that stood out. As he passed by the kitchen, it was full of flies floating around the refrigerator and a streak of red flowing underneath the door. The counter was full of strangely-shaped bottles that looked suspiciously like chemistry glasses, filled with a dark fluid staying at the bottom of the bottles which had large holes on the sides. Cautiously, Percy made his way to the back of the trailer. The makeshift living room was a mess, with a single coffee table in the middle holding a thick, aging tome. Curious, Percy made his way to the book and opened it. He flipped through the manuscript and found page upon page of detailed notes of monsters unlike any Percy had ever seen before and some looked familiar. There was a whole page dedicated to vampires, showing an image of a dead man and the mouth pulled open to show the vampiric fangs. The picture being stamped '3/12/36.' There was another image of the monsters Percy faced, the Wendigo, who are nature spirits who prefer to be left alone and will maim, torture, eat or even use curses to have their way. According to the book, they are the spirits of Native Americans and those who died after being forced to resort to cannibalism and they will have an unyielding hunger for human flesh.

By that point, Percy dropped the book back on the table. What the hell? Where are these monsters coming from? As his mind raced around trying to come up with some, any, explanation, he notices something on the nearby sofa. Walking to it, he picks the jacket up. This is the exact same style of jacket worn by that crazy lunatic who murdered the woman in his dream to Maine! This means…

A loud clatter drew Percy's attention from the jacket. Where did it come from? He put the jacket back down on the couch and made his way to the back of the living room, and he started to hear silent whispering. Crouching down, he followed the sound of the voices to a far corner of the room, where the carpet was folded upward as if someone folding the rug while swinging a door open but let the rug where it was.

Upon further examination of the wall, Percy noticed distinct lines carved into the bottom panels, with a rope lying on the floor while blending in. Grabbing the rope, Percy pulled it and the entire panel slid upward, revealing a tunnel leading down to who knows where. If possible, the smell got even worse than it did before. He had to make a moment to stop himself from gagging violently before grabbing on the edge and looking down the hole. All he could see was an infinite well of darkness, looking like it wants to reach out and pull Percy into its depths. As Percy began to look closer, for any way to lower himself down the pit, he heard it. It was quiet, but the sound of scraping metal is unmistakable. Percy grasped his pen, only for the hole to burst open. The thing that burst out let out a screech of fury and grabbed onto Percy's leg. With the other leg, Percy kicked it in the face three times. The creature lets go, allowing Percy to crawl to his pen. His uncapped Riptide, the sword springing to life. The monster got to its feet and when he saw who it was, Percy was deeply surprised. He had not seen her for many years, but he remembered the bitch like he saw her yesterday.

"Nancy Bobofit?" The tall, pale girl grinned at him. Her skin was paler than the last time they met, her freckles look even more orange-colored if that is possible, her red hair became more auburn in color, but her teeth set Percy on edge. She had the fangs of the vampire he saw in the book.

"So you do remember me. I missed you so much, Percy Jackson. My adventures and pranks were so much more fun when someone like you tried to stop me. Please, don't stop now. Keep making it fun for me, right to the very last drop." She barred her fangs, and a pair of large bat wings sprouted from her back. A single flap of these wings sent everything in the room spiraling around. Percy's grip on his blade remained tight. Nancy lunged forward, ready to bite Percy's face off.

Percy was ready. He slid under her charge and stabbed upward before she could even react. The blade pushed through her rags and through her lower right abdomen. She screeched in pain, flailing on the ground with the sword still in her side. She looked down at the blade then grabbed the hilt. To Percy's surprise, she ripped the blade out and threw it aside. She stood back up and seemed to grin wider, if that was possible. "Good, good. Keep it up! Give it to me!" She lunged forward to Percy, who had taken up a self-defense position of holding his arms up and widening his stance. Hey, Percy had never taken any martial arts classes nor seen any Bruce Lee films. Maybe he should have watched those.

As she was about to tackle him, a loud blast went off, and in slow motion, Percy saw Nancy drop to the floor, blood and pieces of her brain spilling on the carpet. He then looked to the window with a hole right in the middle. Percy realized that the shooter must be close and could be the last living link to this case!

With a plan in mind, Percy ran to the window and smashed through. Looking frantically, he spotted someone standing on top of a nearby trailer holding a sniper rifle starting to run away. He ran to the edge of that building, hoisting himself up a storm drain, then getting back onto his feet. The person was leaping from building to building, trying to get away. The demigod took the pen out, uncapping Riptide again, threw his blade. He hoped to pin this assassin down.

Unfortunately, the blade missed and impaled the side of a trailer, and the assailant leapt to the ground below. As Percy made his way to the area, the person had disappeared. Cursing under his breath and only now realizing that the trailer park was in an uproar over the noise, he was about to make a break for it when he noticed something strange on the blade. He leapt over to the next building and took the blade out.

Percy's breath hitched when he saw Riptide. There was a thin layer of deep red blood on one of the edges of the sword, the side that grazed the assailant.


	8. A Grand Escape

**July 29****th****, 2011**

* * *

The Festival has come.

Annabeth, just days ago, was excited for this very event. She wondered through the crowded streets of New Rome, packed elbow to elbow with demigods. At the mess hall, the counselors of Camp Half-Blood were enjoying the camaraderie of the centurions of the five legions. The area still had a distinct Roman element involved, but Greek architecture was also introduced in more ways than Annabeth cared to notice. On the field of Mars, especially, Greek columns hold up a thick marble roof which serves as the special war game. The two sets of campers were greeting each other and pulling various pranks. The Stoll Brothers found an easy target in the Kool-Aid addicted Dakota.

While Annabeth would be paying more attention to everything around her, or even talking to Chiron who just arrived with the rest of the campers that day, she could not face them. The thought of Percy being thrown into a place as dangerous as Castle Rock did not sit well at all. And the only way she can see if he is still alright is to send an Iris message to him.

Fortunately, the other day she had started unpacking everything in her college dorm with the official tour beginning in a few days. It was a small, comfortable dorm with two bedrooms, one for Annabeth and one for whoever her roommate will be, and a bathroom connecting the two bedrooms. As the roommate had not arrived yet, this is the one place she can hold an Iris message without being overheard.

As she turned down the street leading to the dorms, she spotted Chiron in his true form walking down the road. Gasping, she ducked behind the building and took a deep breath. He would find her soon if she does not take care of her next steps. She looked up, and realized she was standing next to a bakery. Taking the risk, she stepped inside, and ducked behind a pillar while watching Chiron stepping into the street while looking around, obviously looking for the daughter of Athena. Eventually he moved on and went to look in another part of the camp. Letting out a breath, she stepped out while the baker was so busy, he did not notice her at all.

Continuing on, Annabeth managed to make it back to the dorms without any other incident. Making it to the bathroom, she started the hot water and steam immediately flooded the room, hanging on the floor like a thick fog. Annabeth then proceeded to pull out a golden drachma and stare at it. It was one of the few that Percy gave her before the trip started, before things took a turn for the worse. Taking the coin, she flipped it into the water where a rainbow was forming in the mist. "Oh, Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering."

At first, nothing happened. Then, the mist started gathering before the mirror to form a dark image. Annabeth squinted into the dark screen to try and see anything. Then, a face appears in the screen, and it is not Percy. The man, at least Annabeth believes him to be one, is wearing a thick wooden mask with thin slits for eyes and a slot for his mouth. He stared at her, not out of menace, but out of curiosity. "Who are you?" Annabeth gasped, waving her hand in the message. The connection was cut immediately, and the mist dispersed. Annabeth lay on the floor of the bathroom, panting before curling into a ball.

Who was that in the message? Why did Percy did not appear in the message? If she saw a completely different person, then things have gotten worse than she possibly imagined.

Suddenly, a knocking came at the door and Annabeth looked up. It seemed the jig was up. That night, she would make a break for it, and head for Maine to save Percy from whoever that masked person is. With this in mind, Annabeth got up and turned the water off and went to the dorm entrance. Opening it up, she found Chiron standing there. "Annabeth. I've been looking for you everywhere. How have you been?"

Gulping silently, Annabeth took a deep breath and smiled at her mentor. "I'm doing alright, Chiron. I did not see you earlier."

The glance as brief, but she could tell that he did not quite believe her story. "That is quite alright. I was looking for you because you were chosen to be a judge for tonight's war games."

Annabeth could only blink. What would she say to something like this? Nothing, but her plans would not change in the slightest. She simply nodded. "I would be happy to do so."

Chiron smiled slightly, but that glint in his eyes did not stop. "Annabeth, I just want to know that if anything is bothering you, I am here. This is a nice dormitory." He then wandered off.

She looked down at her hands. Would telling Chiron actually be helpful? She clenched her fists. She did not know what was going on, it gnawed at her mind. She would handle this situation before bringing anyone else into this fight.

When she left the dorms and made her way to the main event, she saw a set of stables, where two legionnaires were guarding and some pegasi were being escorted inside to rest after their flight. Bingo.

Even from where she was, the sounds of thunderous applause echoes throughout the canyon. It seemed that the introductory speech had been made, but she missed it completely in her desperation to create the Iris message. As she was making her way to the city center, her arm was grabbed. She looked to the source and saw Thalia who pulled Annabeth into a hug. "Annabeth! How have you been doing, Wise Girl?" She asked hen se pulled away.

"I've been good." That was perhaps the greatest lie Annabeth had ever told in her life, but she had to keep up appearances for just a little while longer. She had been losing more and more sleep in the last few days with each second getting worse and worse.

Thalia did not seem to pick up on this and only smiled wider. "Where's Percy? I thought he would be here by now."

"I'm sure he will be here soon. He's running behind. By the way, when did you get here?"

Thalia beamed. "We got here 10 minutes ago. I couldn't miss seeing everyone again and for the stuff we've been through to keep the monsters in check? We needed a night off. I'm sorry to hear Percy's missing out on this! Well, see you!" With that, she left to join the other Huntresses.

Continuing on, Annabeth made her way to the judge's table and waited. She supposed she became acquainted with the other judges, but could not muster much willpower to remember them. Then, the games finally began.

The first event was a type of war game, where ten Romans would defend the fortress and ten Greeks would charge the building and try to capture the banner that is located somewhere inside. Once everyone was in position, a whistle was blown and the Greeks charged into the building. Annabeth was surprised as to how well prepared the Romans were for the assault, right down to the catapults launching projectiles from Death Ball. Several of her fellow campers were hit directly and could only wince as they writhed in agony while being melted with acid. What were they thinking? Fortunately, some of the more experienced campers like Sherman Yang were able to make it past the catapults and enter the facility only to be met by a barricade of shielded Romans. Arrows flew, swords and spears clanged loudly through the night as the fighting became more intense. Silence reigned and it seemed that the Romans managed to defeat the campers. Then, from out of the front entrance marched Sherman holding the Roman banner up in triumph. The whistle started. "Camp Half-Blood wins!"

A roar of thunderous applause rang out, and the first game was over. The judges gave their scoring based on the performance and the amount of time it took to complete the event on a number scale of 0-10. Annabeth shrugged her shoulders and gave the winners a 10 and the losers a 9.

Soon, the rest of the night passed by in a blur as Annabeth spent a lot of time attempting to map out her game plan on how she might pull off her great escape. After the escape, there were several more events. The second event was a wrestling event where the Romans won by an embarrassing landslide; Michael Kahale was a lot stronger than Annabeth gave him credit for. Camp Half-Blood got their revenge in the chariot races where the Apollo cabin's chariot was able to out-race the Roman war chariot run by mechanical horses and carrying more weapons. At least there were no homicidal birds trying to kill them this time.

Finally, there was the Romans' favorite game: Death Ball. This time, the Hunters of Artemis decided to become involved and sent their best hunters out. Annabeth supposed she should be grateful the goddess did not come as she apparently wanted to look into something that was going on. It really was impressive that when the Greeks and Romans teamed up, the best they could do was tie with the huntresses.

Finally, the grand feast would begin. This was be the most essential part of the night, where Greeks and Romans could break bread without resorting to violence for the first time in over 3,000 years. However, Annabeth did not plan on making the feast.

By the time judging had finished, the judges left their tent on the edge of the Field of Mars and started making their way to the feast. Annabeth saw Thalia was talking with Chiron, and when they were finished, she too made her way to the redecorated Mess Hall. Thalia had an expression that Annabeth knew all too well; the look of disappointment which often led to being chewed out and/or interrogated. Annabeth had been on the receiving end to know what that meant, and unfortunately, her escape would have to happen now or never.

Pushing through the throngs of people, Annabeth escaped the crowd and started sprinting down the cobblestone roads. Occasionally she would find a piece of cover like a building or in a trash can in order to avoid anyone else, but she managed to leave the main city and reach the stables. Two legionnaires stood guard at the main entrance, watching for any signs of trespassers. One was large and rather muscular with a light tan and stubby beard while his companion was rather pale, much skinnier but still having some muscle, which combined with his round glasses made him look like a well-built nerd. She watched them for several moments as they stood in place and remained alert despite all the distractions, listening to their conversation.

"Hey." The muscular legionnaire asked.

"Yeah, Cowboy?"

"Do you ever wonder why we're here?"

"I don't know. Why are we here? Are the Olympian gods all there is, to know in the universe? Or are there other gods, or even a supreme God, watching over us and guiding even the Fates? I don't know, but I can't sleep at night while thinking about it."

Annabeth was mildly amused by their discussion but had to admit there was some merit to it. As she repositioned herself, she felt something under one of her feet. She looked down and saw a loose cobblestone rattling in place. An idea formed in Annabeth's mind, and she grinned widely.

"Wow. Look everyone, we've got a real philosopher here! So, riddle me this, smartass. I meant why are we here and not down at the feast? I've heard that the daughters of Aphrodite are real hotties and looking for real men for company."

"A little something called foreword thinking. You know, Tucker's heard the same things as us. I believe he deliberately rearranged his guard duty schedule so he could be there and not here."

"Lucky little martian spit-fuck. I'll bet you that by the end of the night, every single one of those girls are going to be at his special rock and when they leave, they're going to be mothers."

"How much do you have on you?"

The muscular man ruffled through his armor and pulled out a pouch of coins. "Twenty golden Denarii?"

"You're on." They put the money back and resumed their guard duty but by now, Annabeth was ready. Grasping the rock she had been working on loosening, she chucked it at the war elephant Hannibal. He roared in indignance and started stomping around. The muscular guard immediately made his way to stop the elephant from rampaging while his friend stayed behind. Annabeth could take him.

She snuck up to the side of the stables where the friend was watching with concern. Striking quickly, she wrapped her arm around his throat and tightened. He couldn't make even a squeak in his effort to break the grip not even Annabeth realized she had. In fact, by this point she was seeing red and voices were chanting in her mind to drain the life from this Roman, to kill all the halfbloods in fact.

As the legionnaire's grip started to slacken, Annabeth felt a cold sensation wash over her. The same sensation she experienced when she saw Percy poison a misery goddess to where she screamed in agony. The shaking of her senses made the red slowly dissipate and Annabeth to stare at the unconscious Roman, his face paler than before, in abject horror. What just happened?

"Hey, Dutchy! I know you're not the strongest guy around, but can you please help me out here? Hannibal's about to get loose!" The voice broke the daughter of Athena from her thoughts and she rummaged through his armor. She found the keys to the stables and putting the right key into the slot, she opened the stables. Inside were many pegasi, and the one she knew well was Blackjack. Making her way to the Pegasus, she climbed onto his back.

"Hey, Blackjack! I need your help to find Percy. I think he is in danger. Can you help get me to Maine?"

The Pegasus whinnied, which she really hoped was a 'yes,' then he started galloping out of the stables, wings unfolding, then the two took to the skies. Annabeth had to suppress a whoop of triumph as they flew over Camp Jupiter unnoticed. They soon left the demigod stronghold, passing over Caldecott Tunnel, soaring over the Berkley Hills, and across the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco gleamed brightly in the night. She took in a silent breath; she may despise the city proper, but from up high, it was a truly nice view.

The city became a blur as they continued on, eventually leaving the borders of California and passing over a desert, likely Nevada, or New Mexico?

Annabeth did not know how far she had gone, and the world was starting to become blurry. Blackjack whinnied, and Annabeth really wished Percy could translate what he said to her. Suddenly, she felt a drop on her hand. Looking at it, she started shaking violently as she saw a drop of blood. Then the world seemed to shift before her eyes to the heart of Las Vegas, but something was very different. A throng of people wearing makeshift clothes were cheering and screaming insults at something out of her sight. She then heard several crackling noises and looked to see blue light encasing a man's mouth before falling to the ground screaming.

"Certainly gives a whole new meaning to the phrase my lips are sealed." A cold, malicious voice said in a gloating voice. The voice sounded familiar to Annabeth, but where had she heard it before?

Then, another interruption occurred in the form of a deeply deformed man riding a bike pulled up to the stand she was standing on, carrying behind him something that turned Annabeth's blood cold; a nuclear warhead.

The exchange of words started to become blurred to the demigod, but what did not escape her attention was the panic on everyone's faces and a tuxedo-wearing man was notably panicked and the same sadistic voice demanded to kill the man whose skin seemed to rot away, while he was screaming, "My life for you…" The crowd started to run away from the bomb's sight, only for it to start glowing brightly and explode.

The raw heat of the blast sent shock waves through Annabeth's body, and she screamed in pain. Blackjack bucked in surprise at the outburst and dropped to a flat space between two mountains. He even managed to reach the bottom when Annabeth finally let go and fell off the pegasus. Barely acknowledging how numb her arms were, Annabeth's breathing slowed as she stared at the night sky. The darkness came over her.

In her dreams, she saw a small New England town but is not Castle Rock. Yet somehow, she knew that this was in Maine and the town was called Jerusalem's Lot. Sunset was approaching, and the people were starting to leave their homes. As the night became darker, the more Annabeth noticed that their ears were atypically elongated, their eyes turned a deep yellow, and their teeth were long.

Then, from out of nowhere, fires erupted around the town attracting the vampire's attention. Hordes of people charged through the forest nearby to the town. Some wielded guns and shot down the vampires, but for every vampire killed five more took their place. Leading the human charge was the man she saw in the Iris message, albeit younger. He still wore the wooden mask but with a black trench coat and a bowler bat with nothing in hand. As they charged forward, the man held his right hand out. The vampires screeched in agony for reasons unseen before the man pulled out a longsword and swung it, decapitating the nearest vampire. The two sides finally collided, and it was true chaos. Humans pulled out knives and stabbed the vampires' heads while some vampires managed to bite the necks off their enemies. Some humans managed to escape the carnage and wield flamethrowers and shoot pillars of fire at the old buildings of downtown Salem's Lot.

The masked man continued his bloody rampage then he decided to charge up a hill to a tall, multi-story house. He walked to the front door, only to be surprised by a blue-skinned vampire. When the masked man attacked, the vampire grabbed his arm and threw him aside. The hat flew off his head, letting locks of jet-black hair fly everywhere. The vampire almost floated towards the man, ready to eat him alive. Then, he seemed to be frozen in place no matter how much effort he put into it. The masked man stood back up and grabbed the vampire's head and squeezed. Annabeth had to cringe at the amount of blood spilling from the vampire before he fell to the ground, dead.

The man looked out at the town, now fully on fire and the screams echoing from that area. "What does it matter?" He then looked to Annabeth, and she seemed to see a dull light behind the mask. "We're damned to suffer for simply living. Why do we fight?"

Annabeth did not know what to say, and darkness again filled her vision.

"Annabeth, Annabeth. Annabeth!" Her eyes fluttered open and slowly sat up. She blinked several times, and what she saw made her heart almost leap out of her chest.

Chiron and Thalia stood in front of her, and they looked rather pissed. "Annabeth." Chiron said, "What do you think you're doing?"


	9. Percy's Bad Day

**July 29****th****, 2011**

* * *

Blam! Blam! Blam!

For each shot that occurred, an empty bottle of beer was shattered into a thousand pieces. Percy lowered the large pistol with smoke pouring out of the barrel, looking at the weapon with mild glee. It took days of practice, and possibly some robbery of a gun store, but Percy's combat instincts made learning how to use a gun considerably easier.

Percy lowered his gun then looked to the rising sun. Today would be the day when he confronts that bastard stalking him. Putting in the next set of bullets into his pistol, he tucks it into his jeans and lowers his shirt before uncapping Riptide and beginning to practice with that. As he continued swinging the blade, his mind wandered to that night where Nancy was shot and Riptide cut through the assassin's arm. It chilled Percy slightly because this is going to be harder than expected, but this is why he came to Maine in the first place. His mother was finally able to stop being so visibly angry and Paul, he was having the time of his life. In fact, he had written over half of his book now and plans for what the other half encompasses.

Percy kept slashing harder and faster before he let out a final swing. The strike was so powerful he created a light air current blowing away from the leaves of the trees. Letting out some small pants, Percy lifted his sword back up and capped the weapon again. He would be ready and when he confronted his nemesis, he'd wear that Vietnam War uniform in the depot.

As he stood up again, he felt like he was being watched again and turned around only to see Sally staring at him from inside the house before letting the drapes fall again.

Deciding to talk to his mother, he strolled along the neatly-cut grass and entered the house. "Good morning, Percy!" Paul was leaning back in his chair next to Sally, looking quite pleased with himself. "How are you?"

"I've been good." Percy couldn't help but smile slightly at his step-father's enthusiasm. "How has your novel come along?"

"Oh, it's gone so well! I could be done with it by the end of this weekend. I want to take a moment and savor this." Sally also smiled but Percy noticed that it was a rather forced expression. Paul stretched even further then stood up. "Well, I'm going to get cleaned up then let's see if we can do something together as a family today. What do you say?"

"Let's go for it!" Percy exclaimed. He wanted to have one last bit of fun before the carnage began.

Paul nodded in appreciation then left. Sally leaned forward on the table and let out a silent moan. "Why?"

Percy made his way to his mother's side and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

She looked up to her son. "Percy, can you sit down for a moment? There's something I want to tell you."

His expression hardened. Rarely does he hear that tone from her so he sat down and paid attention. "What's wrong?"

She lifted up a small black model train. It looked familiar to Percy, but he could not remember where he saw it before. "A long time ago, when we actually lived in Castle Rock, you found this in our old house. I'm showing this to you because this is what opened my eyes to what really lived here. When I was your age then, I loved the town and I loved trains more than anything else in the world. I would search for and purchase every model train I could find, and had a collection that was the town envy. But this little model here eluded me year after year after year. Then, one day when I was 17 and a year before I met your father, an antique store opened up in town, and it was called _Needful Things_. I was lured into the store because I saw that train in the window. Leland Gaunt, the owner, let me buy it for 5 dollars."

"There was another price to pay on that. In addition, he asked me to pull a prank on Frank Adams, a pilot for Continental Airlines. I had to slip a bottle of Augmentin into his nightly cup of orange juice. The next morning, I realized that my parents weren't home yet. I became worried sick and tried calling them. I saw the newspaper then and realized what had happened. A pilot couldn't make the flight taking my parents' home so Frank had to take over. The cause of the crash was unknown, but I did the research and found that the medicine eased his nervous system and dulled his senses, enough to cause the crash. That vile creature, worse than any man, forced others here to perform similar stunts and the brawls in the streets to break out. The town turned red that night and one person even resorted to strapping a bomb onto himself. That bomb would destroy the store and Gaunt still survived. As he was leaving never to return, he looked to me and told me that he was going to sell my son a fine mask made of wood, the face of The Wanderer."

Percy thought about what he heard and visibly recoiled. He remembered the assassin wearing a mask of wood. Could they be different masks? Percy certainly hoped so. He had seen a lot in this life, but has yet to see a coincidence. And the Wanderer? The only thing Percy intends wandering through is the grocery store to get some more root beer. He managed to regain his composure. He knew she hated Castle Rock, but he could not help but feel an extraordinary amount of guilt over not realizing why sooner.

Sally saw the expression on his face and smiled, a real one this time. "Percy, I know this is a strange time for all of us. Thank you so much for being here. I think I might be able to finally move on from my past and create a new future. Besides, I kind of missed Maine in a way."

In that moment, Paul stepped out of the room fully-dressed and was about to question his family on why they were going but decided to wait a moment until it had passed. After a minute, the two looked to Paul after realizing he was standing there. "So, you ready to go?"

The two quickly managed to change clothes before they left. Today, they would not be staying in Castle Rock. They would be taking a day trip out of the town to visit the local towns, namely Ogunquit, a place Paul had heard of weeks before and had been eager to go to since. When they arrived, they couldn't believe how small the seaside town was. They drove alongside the Atlantic Ocean, pointing out lighthouses and docks with fishermen preparing to go about their day, and the quaint buildings of classic New England.

While some time was spent in the town itself, visiting some museums and stores, the majority of the time was spent on the beach. This was the one place where Percy truly felt at home. Without wasting another moment, a swimsuit-clad demigod charged into the water and fell into the depths of the ocean. A sensation of power and energy surged through his body and returned to the surface. He saw Sally and Paul and waved at them and they waved back. Smiling, he decided to show off a little bit and let himself sink under the waves. He went deeper and deeper before he decided to rocket to the surface. The force sent him rocketing into the air for a few seconds before landing in the water. He looked around sheepishly, then it began.

As he looked closer at the beach, he saw bodies upon bodies of people lying on the ground. Now on-guard, Percy swam back to the beach and made his way to his family. Both of them were lying on the ground, not moving! With a shaky breath, Percy placed two fingers to his mother's neck and then his stepfather's. He let out a breath; their pulses were completely normal so they were simply unconscious. But what was causing this? He had not seen this level of power since the Battle of Manhattan. Suddenly, another burst came from the ocean and Percy turned his head in that direction.

A man that stepped out of the ocean was almost exactly Percy's height, with a lighter skin tone but really well-built. He wore blue denim jeans, a grey hoodie and a thick wooden mask. Percy didn't recognize him directly, but he knew it in his gut by the way he walked, this was the assassin who killed Nancy. The two stared each other down. Percy used this time to reach behind his back and grab the revolver tucked in his clothes. The man seemed to notice and pulled out a submachine gun from his hoodie pocket and opened fire.

Percy rolled to the side and lifted up his pistol, opening fire. The first shot missed, but the second hit his chest. Percy used this moment to fire the rest of his bullets into the man, peppering his body with bullets. He fell to his knees but to Percy's shock, he got back up and the bullets were pushed out of his body. The demigod grit his teeth and threw his pistol back to his mother's side, then reached into his pocket. Sure enough, Riptide was ready for battle. Lifting the weapon out, he uncapped the pen and the legendary sword sprang to full form.

The man stopped in place and tilted his head to the side as he stared at the blade. He then reached his hand out and into his hand leapt a long shard of glass that looked particularly sharp. The two charged at each other, determined to fight with everything they had.

Percy had a clear advantage in this close-range combat due to a longer, durable weapon, and an idea he had. Every strike he made to parry his weapon, he would strike at one particular part. Percy would get in some cuts on his opponent but he would stab Percy from time to time as well but still, Percy pushed on. His movements were nothing more than blurs and soon, his plan succeeded. The glass shattered in his hands and the man went flying back from the recoil. Percy felt a buzz in his mind, but pushed through, not wasting a moment before he slammed the hilt of Riptide into the man's face. The impact was so powerful that he was knocked right onto his face, the mask having been knocked off in the process and laying in the sand. Shakily, the man stood up and glared at Percy, who nearly dropped his sword at what he saw.

This man looked exactly like Percy! Every detail, with the exception of his hair being longer and messier and his skin being a tone paler, was so exact that Percy was mentally overwhelmed. Whoever the man was, he lurched forward and stabbed the hilt of the glass weapon into Percy's stomach. He yelped in pain, staring at the weapon before staring at his opponent who looked down upon him. "Who… are you?"

Unfortunately, the shock of being stabbed sent his body into shock and darkness consumed his vision. He stayed in darkness for who knows how long before a wave of water washed over his face.

Percy's eyes fluttered open and he stared at the man who looked exactly like Percy. "Well, look who's awake."

Percy tried lifting his hands to attack the man, but he couldn't move. Looking down, he realized that he was tied in place by thick coils of rope used to hold sails in place on sailing boats. He wouldn't break free anytime soon. "Who are you?"

The man sneered. "You should know me pretty well. I am Perseus Jackson, the real one at least."

Percy stared at Perseus, not believing what he heard. "What a coincidence. I'm Percy Jackson. I'd shake your hand, but I'm a bit tied up at the moment."

"I intend to keep you as such. You see, I am the true son of Sally Jackson and Poseidon. You are nothing more than an experiment, an artificial human created in a lab meant to take my place so I could do my job. That is to protect Castle Rock from all outside influences. Don't bother trying to loosen your bonds, Mr. Jackson. I'm not blind, you know." He then lifted up another knife and dug it into Percy's neck. The demigod groaned in pain which radiated into his shoulders.

"And whose idea was this?" Percy asked. He hoped that this could trick him to talking and maybe get something out of this.

Perseus scoffed. "Nice try, idiot. I am not Dr. Evil or any of those others who love hearing themselves talk. However, there is something I think you'd be very interested to know." He lowered himself to be at eye level with Percy. "Your girlfriend, Annabeth, is on her way to Maine right now. She thinks she can save your life. How very sweet."

Percy froze in terror. No… "You don't know Annabeth like I do. She will run a steamroller all over you."

"Maybe she will. Maybe she won't. She carries a great evil in her, and as a guardian, I must purge her. You have such a beautiful sword. I think that it would be so tragic if she met her end at the hands of something she had learned to trust. So much has been left undone that needs to be corrected now. When I return, you will learn to know fear. Adios, Percy Jackson." With a smile, Perseus clicked off the fire that illuminated his face and Percy was encased in darkness.

Percy needed to escape immediately. He pulled with everything he had but lay back down, not able to pull himself free. Then, he sensed something all around him; water. His mind drifted to one of Paul's lectures in school where water could be used to erode rocks and wear numerous structures such as wood down. Maybe it would work with wood.

The demigod leaned back and concentrated. The familiar tug filled his body and water surged around him, gripping the ropes and soaking them. He tried pulling again and again, and after some time, he pulled his left arm out. Grabbing the rope binding the other arm, he pushed now and managed to break loose from his binds.

He was free. He did not know how he was going to escape wherever he was, but Annabeth was walking into a trap that he needed to stop before it was too late.


	10. The Final Burst

**July 30****th****, 2011**

* * *

"I'd rather not talk about it."

Annabeth glared at Chiron and Thalia as she shakily stood up. "Annabeth, cut this out! This isn't like you at all. Percy may have rubbed off on you, but attacking a Roman legionnaire? Stealing a pegasus to escape camp?" Thalia lowered her spear, looking more confused than angry now.

Chiron too looked disappointed but managed to hide it better. "I think that you are afraid of someone finding out what you are up to. Annabeth, I would like to help you, Thalia would like to help you. We just need to know what is going on."

Annabeth thought about this for a moment then realized that maybe having someone to watch her back might not be the worst thing in the world right now. She sighed. "Okay. But I'll only tell you if I continue on my path and you come with me." She then looked around and saw the chariot carried by two other pegasi, big enough to hold all three of them, plus Percy.

Chiron nods in agreement and Thalia reluctantly followed suit. It then hit Annabeth that there was a small problem. "Where's Blackjack?"

"He was standing over you when we found you. Whatever happened spooked him badly and he flew off shortly after."

Annabeth nodded. She stopped into the chariot with Chiron and Thalia. "Where were you going, Annabeth?" Chiron asked.

She looked to the pegasi. "I was going to Maine. A town called Castle Rock."

Thalia blinked while Chiron spared her a glance. It was subtle, but Annabeth knew him well enough to tell when he was nervous. He spurred the reins and the winged horses took off, pulling the chariot into the sky. When they were soaring high in the sky, Chiron looked to the daughter of Athena. "Annabeth, please. Tell me how you know of such a cursed place."

Silence reigned for different reasons. Thalia was confused while Annabeth was stunned. "How do you know about that place?"

Chiron sighed. "In the 1960's, things at Camp Half-Blood became particularly dicey. I wanted to find other places to set up Camp Half-Blood and I looked to Maine for a solution. That land was a scarred one, carrying many curses and attracting monsters of all kinds. While I was willing to live with that, I could not put the campers at risk when I learned that demons also made their home there. But Castle Rock… that was the center of my troubles in Maine. I had encountered monsters there not even I had met before nor wish to meet again. That does not answer my question, though. How did you learn of that place?"

For this story, Annabeth felt like she owed Chiron an answer. "Things have been strange for a while now, sir. The day before I flew in to California, Percy and I had lunch. He told me there that he would not be joining us. He would be watching over his mother and stepfather as they visit a relative living in Castle Rock. He even told me that Sally and Percy were born there."

"Are you serious?" Thalia demanded, obviously without thinking.

Annabeth nodded. "Ever since I arrived at Camp Jupiter, I have had dreams of one such monster. I can't describe what he looked like but he reminded me of Kronos when I was in his presence; I saw him in my dreams, forcing me to watch such visions that I became afraid of sleep completely. And the worst part was that he was real. He possessed a Roman legionnaire and introduced himself as Randolph Freeman and spoke to me."

Chiron took the chance to look at Annabeth. "What did he say?"

Annabeth took a ragged breath. "He said that he wanted to see me in person before he left. That's all. He appeared to me when I was going to San Francisco."

"Yes, I was going to ask you about that too, Annabeth. Hazel found it rather suspicious, I might add."

Annabeth nodded. "I was going to see a friend I made to get some information. He worked at Shawshank Prison and pretty much said everything you said. Ever since, I had been trying to escape, to save Percy and his family from whatever is waiting for them. And that festival was the best way to do so."

Silence reigned as Chiron focused on flying but was clearly deep in thought. Thalia, however, looked rather haunted. "Annabeth…" She said after a long moment. "By the Gods, I don't even know where to begin to describe this. I suppose I am happy that you were so willing to give everything up. I promise you that I will do everything in my power to make sure this is seen through."

Annabeth smiled; grateful she had such good friends watching her back.

No one was quite sure how long the trip lasted, but eventually, Chiron started giving commands to the pegasi in ancient Greek. Annabeth shakily got to her feet and looked over the edge. She could see the ground below getting larger and larger. She grabbed the railing, bracing herself for the firm thump that she eventually came.

They kept on rolling the chariot before coming to a complete stop in the middle of the forest. The three stepped out and looked around, Chiron being most careful of them all. "Stay close to me. I saw a house nearby that might be a good place to start."

As they made their way through the forest, they heard a loud howling echoing through the night. They turned to see what looked like a bipedal black-furred wolf looking at them through the woods. It charged at them and lifted a paw ready to slash. Thalia brought up an arrow and shot an arrow directly through the heart of the wolf. It fell to the ground, whimpering loudly. The whimpering became louder before the fur retracted into his body revealing an 8-year old boy. He looked up to the trio and started crawling toward them.

"Help… me…" He stopped crawling as his hands went limp and rolled onto his back. They warily stared at the corpse before Thalia creeped to the body and pulled her arrow out.

"I've seen werewolves before but never this young." She then noticed something and lifted one of his arms, with very fresh scratches on them. "He was just infected. This was likely his first outing of the incident."

Annabeth had to be honest with herself; she was somewhat disturbed by how calm Thalia was being right now. "Let's go. We need to find shelter."

The group made their way through the forest and to a rather steep hill to a large house with a barn nearby. Annabeth stopped and looked to one of the windows on the ground floor; she felt like she was being watched. "I felt it too. Someone's here." Chiron slowly clomped forward, bow in hand.

Thalia opened the screen door and stepped inside. The house was silent and smelled like something was rotting. Her companions stepped inside, and immediately noticed the smell. Chiron stepped through, albeit with difficulty, and clomped to the kitchen where an elderly man was laying on the table was lying face-down on the table. "Sir?" Chiron made his way to the man, sure that the Mist would hide his presence. He placed a hand on his shoulder, and he fell to the floor. Glassy eyes stared up at them, a long gash stretching across his neck.

All of them grabbed their weapons. "I'm starting to get a picture." Thalia muttered, before they heard a soft thump. Taking out her bone sword, Annabeth made her way through the house to see if anyone else was around. As she reached one of the bedrooms, she opened the door and saw a familiar person laying on the ground.

"Percy!" She made her way to her boyfriend's side, and rolled him onto his back. She checked his pulse then looked over his body. He looked to be in good health, but paler than she remembered.

He opened his eyes and let out a soft moan, rubbing his head. "What happened?"

"I don't know. I was hoping you could tell me."

He rubbed his head, looking to Annabeth with a puzzled expression. "I don't know. My family and I went to Ogunquit for a day trip and since then, I just can't remember."

Annabeth couldn't help but feel a little suspicious of his answer, like he was hiding something. She helped Percy back onto his feet and led him out of the bedroom and to the kitchen, where he saw the body. "Joe!" He pulled away from Annabeth and made his way to the corpse, looking over the body.

"Percy? Do you know him?" Chiron asked.

"This is my great-uncle. He took my mom in when her parents died."

"You don't say." Thalia stated, with Percy looking up at the huntress.

"It's good to see you again, Thalia." She nodded as Percy stood up. "Now, you said that we were going to be leaving?"

Annabeth nodded, just happy to see him again. "Come on. Let us leave." The group then made their way out of the house and through the forest. But before they reached the forest, Chiron stopped and looked to Percy. "Percy? How have you survived this long?"

He looked to Chiron, and to Annabeth's surprise, his eyes started to become jittery and his body shuddering. "I… I just stayed close to where I lived, sir." His voice seemed to bear a lot of pain, and Chiron frowned.

"Percy… how old am I?"

He froze and stared into Chiron's eyes. Percy shuddered more prominently and foam seemed to form in his mouth. Thalia and Annabeth drew their weapons and pointed them at 'Percy,' who broke his eye contact and fell to his knees. "I don't know."

Chiron stared down at his opponent. "Your skills with mind-reading are quite impressive. The only reason you were able to make it this far was because you were able to read our minds and pick apart what you needed to know. Eye contact is how you do it, but it seems that you have a limit as to how much information you can handle. I must say, it has been a long time since I met a psychic. Who are you?"

'Percy' stood back up, and his expression was one of pure spite. "I am Perseus Jackson, the real one. You are trespassing on Castle Rock. And you…" He glared at Annabeth. "You will suffer for your sins." He lifted his hands up and water surged from the air to his hands. He pointing them to the trio and they shot towards them.

Annabeth reacted in time, swinging her sword up and cutting the water apart but receiving some cuts on her skin from the attack. Thalia had better luck dodging to the side, but she too received some cuts. Chiron took the most damage as he couldn't move as fast, but he was able to stand his ground without problem.

Perseus then let the water go, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar pen. He looked at the pen, then pulled out the cap revealing Riptide. Annabeth's eyes bulged when she saw the weapon; could this be really Percy? What happened to him? What was this about being a psychic? No… Annabeth would defeat him and drag him in chains to camp where she can get to the complete truth.

She lifted up her sword and charged at Perseus. He brought up his sword and blocked her strike. With his other hand, he punched Annabeth between her eyes. The surprise strike didn't break her concentration, but it loosened it enough where Perseus was able to break their stalemate and slashed down. A deep gash was left on Annabath's arm and the pain was unbelievable. Thalia charged at him with her spear, and Perseus got his own gash as a result. As they fought, Chiron made his way to Annabeth and gave her a small Ziploc bag containing the familiar ambrosia. She ate a single square from the bag, and the wound slowly but surely closed in on itself.

"I'm sorry, Annabeth. I am going to wait until I have a clear shot. Go." Nodding in understanding, Annabeth stood up and watched Perseus and Thalia fight with dirty tricks ranging from Thalia bashing Perseus with her shield to Perseus using his powers over the water in the air to hold her in place.

Annabeth charged forward, a plan forming in her mind. She swung her blade at Perseus's right calf, making him shout and drop onto one knee. Thalia took advantage and slammed him with her shield.

The two women stepped back and Chiron lifted an arrow. As he let it loose, Perseus grabbed the arrow in mid-air. "No! I will not lose. Not like this!" He then let out a roar of fury that seemed to echo through the air around them.

A blinding white light consumed Annabeth's vision and when she could see herself again, she found herself on the shore of a lake. The waters of the lake gleamed in the light of the full moon. As she was sitting up, she saw Riptide pointed right at her chest. Perseus stared at her, and there was an almost insane gleam in his eyes, but there was something else present as well, something much more prominent. "What are you afraid of?" She asked. He was terrified of something right now, she could tell.

Perseus growled in anger. "You. You carry a connection that could kill us all." He then sliced downward, leaving a gash in her chest making Annabeth grit her teeth in pain. "I'm going to kill you before you do so." He grabbed her by the neck and with great strength, threw her into the lake.

Annabeth fought as hard as she could, but she only sunk quicker and quicker. Someone help her. Please… her vision became red again and swarms of voices swam within her mind. A voice seemed to speak in her mind in the voice of Randolph Freeman, 'Well, ain't it about time?' A surge of power, of rage, coursed through Annabeth's body and the surface seemed to come closer and closer to her vision before she burst out of the water. "You called for me?" She asked tauntingly, standing on the water's surface.

Thalia and Chiron just looked to Perseus, who looked scared out of his mind, and the red-eyed Annabeth. "What the fuck? I never knew." Perseus muttered. He then pulled out a submachine gun. "Time to die, Flagg!" He then opened fire. Annabeth simply caught the bullets out of thin air, then held the bullets in her hand to show them.

Thalia did not know what was going on, but she knew something was wrong with Annabeth. She would be damned if she lost another member of her family. She shot her normal arrows at Annabeth, who simply had them vaporize in her hand. Chiron then took out a trick arrow out of his quiver and fired it. Annabeth waved her hand and the arrow dissolved. However, the acid inside formed and spread across her face. She let out an inhuman scream of anger but was distracted enough for Perseus to charge across the water and attack her. When the cloud dissipated, the red spread to her entire eyes rather than her irises and her skin was looking leathery. She grabbed the weapon but looked confused as to why it did not work. Perseus twirled it out of her grip and stabbed her shoulder. She started chuckling before it became a cackle. She then pulled Riptide out and stabbed Perseus right through his stomach.

He fell backward and sunk into the ocean's depths. Then, a gunshot rang out and they looked to the cliffs and Thalia with Chiron were absolutely stunned. A shirtless Percy stood on the top of the cliff, holding a large revolver in hand. He pointed it at Annabeth, who stared at the newest arrival. "Let her go."

Flagg growled in anger. "I've gotten so strong in other people's bodies. I will not willingly let go."

Percy clicked the safety off. "Really? You're terrified of this weapon. I'll give you an ultimatum: give up Annabeth and leave this world or I will shoot you."

Flagg and Percy stared at each other. "You love this babe. You wouldn't kill her."

"Really? We've seen death before. Compared to this world, that is looking rather promising."

"You lie!"

"Am I? She is not the first person I'd helped to kill. Why not ask Luke?" Percy pointed the gun at Flagg's head, finger resting on the trigger.

Flagg started chuckling darkly. "Yeah, okay. I sense this world is more trouble than it's worth anyway. Think quick!" With that, a dark cloud seemed to pull itself out of Annabeth's body, sinking into the lake before vanishing.

The spirit now gone, Annabeth fell into the water. Percy threw his revolver aside and dove into the water. He swum deeper and deeper, catching her arm and swimming to the surface. Letting out a gasp of air, he pulled Annabeth to the shore and placed a hand on her stomach. The water evaporated from her system and Annabeth started gasping for air.

"Okay then." Chiron honestly gave up trying to make sense of this. Thalia was in the same boat. It was like someone left out a lot of information that would help to make this more sensible to an outsider.

Annabeth looked up and gasped. "Percy! Stop scaring me like this." She then hugged him so tightly he had a hard time breathing.

He then noticed Chiron and Thalia and felt the blood rushing to his cheeks. "So, this is kind of awkward."

"That has to be the understatement of the decade, Percy." Thalia stated bluntly. But still, she managed a smile. Chiron stared at the lake, looking troubled.

"Percy, I do not know what had happened, but I wish to thank you for your help. Let us leave before something else rises out of this lake." Chiron said.

Percy nodded, getting up. "I need to go back to Ogunquit. I need to make sure Mom and Paul are alright then they can come with us to San Francisco. I think I've seen enough of Maine to last a lifetime."

Chiron nodded and he started walking back to the chariot with the three demigods behind him. Percy by instinct reached into his pocket and felt something. He pulled out the object and realized that it was Riptide. He stared back at the lake.

He did not know whether what that man who called himself Perseus was telling the truth. Despite facing some of the worst monsters Tartarus had trapped in his lair, there were older and still more terrifying entities creeping around the edges of the world, preying for anyone to stumble upon and make them their next victims.

It was a thought that chilled Percy to his very core.


End file.
